123 reasons why Trump's words matter (and so do ours)
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Photo credit: Gage Skidmore
These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. (Matthew 15:18)
The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. (Proverbs 18:21)
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs. (Ephesians 4:29)
The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. (Proverbs 12:18)
Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned. (Matthew 12:33-37)
Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. (Proverbs 16:24)
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (Proverbs 15:1)
Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin. (Proverbs 13:3)
But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. (Colossians 3:8)
Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity. (Proverbs 21:23)
May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. (James 1:19)
Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. (James 1:26)
When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue is also a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one's life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. (James 3:3-12)
A soothing tongue is a tree of light, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit. (Proverbs 15:4)
Do you see someone who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for them. (Proverbs 29:20)
Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues. (Proverbs 17:28)
No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. (Luke 6:43-45)
Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a ruling rightly given. (Proverbs 25:11)
Let your conversations be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Colossians 4:6)
The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint, and whoever has understanding is even-tempered. (Proverbs 17:27)
The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly. (Proverbs 15:2)
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. (Romans 12:14)
The hearts of the wise make their mouths prudent, and their lips promote instruction. (Proverbs 16:23)
Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips. (Psalm 141:3)
Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed. (Proverbs 11:11)
Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; an outsider, and not your own lips. (Proverbs 27:2)
Sin is not ended by multiplying words, but the prudent hold their tongues. (Proverbs 10:19)
You have been trapped by what you said, ensnared by the words of your mouth. (Proverbs 6:2)
But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. (Ephesians 5:3-4)
Whoever derides their neighbor has no sense, but the one who has understanding holds their tongue. (Proverbs 11:12)
To answer before listening - that is folly and shame. (Proverbs 18:13)
Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment. (Proverbs 12:19)
He loved to pronounce a curse - may it come back on him. He found no pleasure in blessing - may it be far from him. (Psalm 109:17)
A person finds joy in giving an apt reply - and how good is a timely word! (Proverbs 15:23)
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. (Exodus 20:16)
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:8-10)
Or if anyone thoughtlessly takes an oath to do anything, whether good or evil (in any matter one might carelessly swear about) even though they are unaware that they are guilty in any of these matters, they must confess in what way they have sinned. (Leviticus 5:4-5)
Do not go about spreading slander among your people. Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor's life. I am the LORD. (Leviticus 19:16)
Evildoers are trapped by their sinful talk, and so the innocent escape trouble. (Proverbs 12:13)
From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things, and the work of their hands brings them reward. (Proverbs 12:14)
An honest witness tells the truth, but a false witness tells lies. (Proverbs 12:17)
The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy. (Proverbs 12:22)
The prudent keep their knowledge to themselves, but a fool's heart blurts out folly. (Proverbs 12:23)
The wise store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin. (Proverbs 10:14)
Blessings crown the head of the righteous, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked. (Proverbs 10:6)
The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin. (Proverbs 10:8)
Whoever winks maliciously causes grief, and a chattering fool comes to ruin. (Proverbs 10:10)
The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. (Proverbs 10:11)
Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning, but a rod is for the back of one who has no sense. (Proverbs 10:13)
Whoever conceals hatred with lying lips and spreads slander is a fool. (Proverbs 10:18)
The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value. (Proverbs 10:20)
The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of sense. (Proverbs 10:21)
From the mouth of the righteous comes the fruit of wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be silenced. (Proverbs 10:31)
The lips of the righteous know what finds favor, but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse. (Proverbs 10:32)
A fool's mouth lashes out with pride, but the lips of the wise protect them. (Proverbs 14:3)
A honest witness does not deceive, but a false witness pours out lies. (Proverbs 14:5)
Stay away from a fool, for you will not find knowledge on their lips. (Proverbs 14:7)
Fools mock at making amends for sin, but goodwill is found among the upright. (Proverbs 14:9)
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. (Proverbs 18:2)
The words of the mouth are deep waters, but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream. (Proverbs 18:4)
The lips of fools bring them strife, and their mouths invite a beating. (Proverbs 18:6)
The mouths of fools are their undoing, and their lips are a snare to their very lives. (Proverbs 18:7)
In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines. (Proverbs 18:17)
From the fruit of their mouth a persons stomach is filled; with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied. (Proverbs 18:20)
The proud and arrogant person - "Mocker" is his name - behaves with insolent fury. (Proverbs 21:24)
With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbors, but through knowledge the righteous escape. (Proverbs 11:9)
My companion attacks his friends; he violates his covenant. His talk is smooth as butter, yet war is in his heart; his words are more soothing than oil, yet they are drawn swords. (Psalm 55:20-21)
I am in the midst of lions; I am forced to dwell among ravenous beasts - men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords. (Psalm 57:4)
They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim cruel words like deadly arrows. They shoot from ambush at the innocent; they shoot suddently, without fear. (Psalm 64:3-4)
Rescue me, LORD, for evildoers; protect me from the violent, who devise evil plans in their hearts and stir up war every day. They make their tongues as sharp as a serpent's; the poison of vipers is on their lips. (Psalm 140:1-3)
The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the speech of the upright rescues them. (Proverbs 12:6)
Kings take pleasure in honest lips; they value the one who speaks what is right. (Proverbs 16:13)
The wise in heart are called discerning, and gracious words promote instruction. (Proverbs 16:21)
A scoundrel plots evil, and on their lips it is like a scorching fire. (Proverbs 16:27)
Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is the rebuke of a wise judge to a listening ear. (Proverbs 25:12)
Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone. (Proverbs 25:15)
Like a north wind that brings unexpected rain is a sly tongue - which provokes a horrified look. (Proverbs 25:23)
A wicked person listens to deceitful lips; a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue. (Proverbs 17:4)
Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool - how much worse lying lips to a ruler! (Proverbs 17:7)
One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper; one whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble. (Proverbs 17:20)
Lead me, LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies - make your ways straight before me. Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with malice. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongues they tell lies. (Psalm 5:8-9)
LORD, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others; who despises a vile person but honors those who fear the LORD; who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind; who lends money to the poor without interest; who does not accept a bribe against the innocent. (Psalm 15:1-5)
Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen and understand. What goes into someone's mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them... Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of a person's mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts - murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them." (Matthew 15:10-11, 17-20)
Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them." After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. "Are you so dull?" he asked. "Don't you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? For it doesn't go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body." (In saying this, Jesus declared all food clean.) He went on: "What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person's heart, that evil thoughs come - sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person." (Mark 7:14-23)
No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless. (Revelation 14:5)
For "whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech." (1 Peter 3:10)
Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. (Psalm 34:12-14)
The Sovereign LORD has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed. (Isaiah 50:4)
The lips of the wise spread knowledge, but the hearts of fools are not upright. (Proverbs 15:7)
A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel. (Proverbs 15:18)
The LORD detests the thoughts of the wicked, but gracious words are pure in his sight. (Proverbs 15:26)
The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil. (Proverbs 15:28)
Better the poor whose walk is blameless than a fool whose lips are perverse. (Proverbs 19:1)
A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever pours out lies will not go free. (Proverbs 19:5)
A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever pours out lies will perish. (Proverbs 19:9)
A corrupt witness mocks at justice, and the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil. (Proverbs 19:28)
A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare. (Proverbs 21:6)
Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. (2 Timothy 2:16)
All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. (Proverbs 14:23)
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of the destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and the needy. (Proverbs 31:8)
She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. (Proverbs 31:26)
Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious, but fools are consumed by their own lips. At the beginning their words are folly; at the end they are wicked madness - and fools multiply words. No one knows what is coming - who can tell someone else what will happen after them? (Ecclesiastes 10:12-14)
What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs. (Luke 12:3)
An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends and against all sound judgment starts quarrels. (Proverbs 18:1)
Save me, LORD, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues. (Psalm 120:2)
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. (1 Corinthians 13:1)
Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. (Proverbs 4:24)
A troublemaker and a villain, who goes about with a corrupt mouth, who winks maliciously with his eye, signals with his feet and motions with his fingers, who plots evil with deceit in his heart - he always stirs up conflict. Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant; he will suddenly be destroyed - without remedy. (Proverbs 6:12-15)
[Wisdom speaking:] Listen, for I have trustworthy things to say; I open my lips to speak what is right. My mouth speaks what is true, for my lips detest wickedness. All the words of my mouth are just; none of them is crooked or perverse. (Proverbs 8:6-8)
To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. (Proverbs 8:13)
It is one's honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel. (Proverbs 20:3)
Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife; quarrels and insults are ended. (Proverbs 22:10)
Pay attention and turn your ear to the saying of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach, for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready on your lips. (Proverbs 22:17-18)
Do not envy the wicked, do not desire their company; for their hearts plot violence, and their lips talk about making trouble. (Proverbs 24:1-2)
An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips. (Proverbs 24:26)
Do not testify against your neighbor without cause - would you use your lips to mislead? (Proverbs 24:28)
Like a maniac shooting flaming arrows of death is one who deceives their neighbor and says, "I was only joking!" (Proverbs 26:18-19)
A lying tongue hates those it hurts, and a flattering mouth works ruin. (Proverbs 26:28)
Whoever rebukes a person will in the end gain favor rather than one who has a flattering tongue. (Proverns 28:23)
Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end. (Proverbs 29:11)
If you play the fool and exalt yourself, or if you plan evil, clap your hand over your mouth! (Proverbs 30:32)
There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community. (Proverbs 6:16-19)