DEVOTION – DAY 585

1 Peter 3:10-11 “Guard Our Tongues” 

1 Peter 3:10-11 “For whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. They must turn from evil and do good, and they must seek peace and pursue it.”

The apostle Peter in 1 Peter 3:9 urges Christians to do good, to the extent of repaying evil with blessings. The above verses were a quote from Psalm 34. Peter introduced these verses as reasons why Christians should do good. Firstly, those who do good will find life worth living (v10) – “they would love life”. Secondly, their days on earth will be good (v10). Thirdly, God’s eyes will be on them and God will bless (v12) and God will hear their prayers (v12).

Peter also repeated the call to turn away from evil, to do good and stay away from lying and using our speech to discourage or harm others (v11). This is a practical warning and something many people fall into without thinking. Many people when they hear something juicy would want to pass the gossip onto their friends without verifying if what they heard was truthful or not. Many people would not think twice about lying about their age – they would like to say they are younger, lying about their height – usually taller than they actually were, or lying about their weight – usually lighter than their real weight. Many people would not think twice to tell someone that they are on their way to meet them and would blame the traffic when they were late because they were tardy with their own timekeeping. Have you been guilty of making these lies? But the above verses remind us to stay away from such evil and instead seek to do good to others. That means to remain righteous and speak the truth all the time. To use our tongue to encourage others, to build up others.

We know someone who was willing to forgo a generous rebate if he could confirm that he was an employee of an organization that enjoys the rebate. He knew he would be lying if he claimed to be an employee. He chose to tell the truth. He confessed that he was not an employee of that organization, and he did without the rebate. 

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we worship you for you are Almighty, All-powerful, All-present Living God. Nothing escapes you. Please help us to guard our tongues from evil, to use our tongues wisely, to speak truth and to build up others for your glory. Please help us to do good always. In the gracious name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Questions

  1. What are some common lies that people make without even thinking about it? Why is lying bad for everyone? Discuss.
  2. How can you prevent yourself from falling into this sin of lying or misusing your tongue? What steps will you take from now onwards to make sure you do not use your tongue for evil?
  3. What good things will you do this week, to show your love and concern for others?