It was quite a shock this week to hear some of our children walk around and say they “had a weapon”. With a hesitant laugh I asked, “What kind of weapon do you have?” To my relief the reply was: “My tongue.” This Sunday, our children were taught how we worship God with our words and how our tongue can be used for good or bad, similar to a weapon. It is a relief to know that their “weapon” is only a tongue but yet it actually can be far more destructive if not controlled and used with love.

Our Part

The message was how we can use our tongues for good and bad. If it has the ability for good we must use it for good. We are even called to use it in praise. With the power of our tongue, we can declare God’s praises and glory. And so we should. The challenge is how can we praise God with our mouth one moment, and then use the same tongue to speak harshly to others at another moment. The one example used this weekend explained it quite well. Speaking is like squeezing out toothpaste. Once it is out, you cannot put it back in. The same applies to our words: when we speak, we cannot take those words back. So we should speak with love and life, and those words can stay out.

Your Part

Listen to what your children say and how they say it. Remind them that the words they say have a great impact, either good or bad. Remind them of the weapons they carry and to use their tongue for good. But the same applies to you parents. Be the example. Watch what you say and how you say it. And remember that God calls us to praise Him with our words. We can make our praises loud and use our words to exalt who God is.

Our tongues truly are incredible weapons that God entrusts to us to use as we will. When we think of all the good we can do with our tongues, we should see it as such a privilege. So let’s use our tongues to declare God’s love and speak love to others too.

– Greg, Nicole and the Children’s Church team