Guarded!

Guarded!

He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction. Proverbs 13:3 KJV

Context:

Most of the words in Proverbs are attributed to Solomon, the king of Israel, who by God's divine choice, was the wisest man in his generation and after. He was blessed by God with wisdom, and people came from the ends of the earth to listen to him. When the hand of God is upon a man, he will always have a message. It does not matter if he is located in the far side of the desert like John the Baptist; men will leave the city and go to him there, just as they did to John. 

Do I have a message? Well, first of all, is the Message himself in me? Jesus is the message that I must first have and know on a personal level, before my life can then become a message that will speak to the world around me. We focus on the outward, forgetting that whatever my life produces is first a function of what I have spent my life focuing on and storing up. I cannot call on something that I have not first stored up, and I cannot make a demand on an account which is not in my name, or into which I have not made a deposit. If my life will have impact, I need to watch what it takes in, so that what it gives out can look like that which God can be glorified by. 

Message and Response:

The gate into my heart is my mouth. It is there that the quality of my heart's contents is revealed. I can pretend to be anyone or anything; all doubt about my identity will be removed as soon as I open my mouth. It then means that I have to be careful what I allow in, what I spend all my time on, and what fruit I cultivate on a daily basis. 

The choice of words is quite instructive: he who 'keepeth' his mouth. Another version uses 'guards'. The picture is one of a person who has been entrusted with something precious and is asked to guard it with his/her life. That thing becomes the sole focus of the guard, to the exclusion of all other things. Do I even know what is expected of me? Do I understand the gravity of the touch of God upon my life and what it demands of me? 

I must be deliberate and proactive about what flows around me; I cannot leave anything to chance. This is not a lottery where you play all sides, not sure which one will win, but you must be conscious of whatever it is that happens around you. The devil is crafty; he never brings the big stuff early; he first takes away the shock value of the little things before he asks you to compromise on the big things. He wants to convince you that 'it does not really matter', and when he is able to make you see that point of view, he knows that when the big one comes, you will not have any resistance. 

My life is precious to God, and the price of his son's life is enough proof of the value God places on me. I must seek the view of this God and seek to do his will. The one who knows this value does not handle his life carelessly. He is thoughtful and deliberate about his words and conduct. He is careful about his representation of the One who is his Lord and Master. Is this true of me as an individual? Are God's treasures safe in and with me? 

The one who opens his mouth wide is seen as prone to destruction. Why, you wonder. The one without an understanding of who he is speaks anyhow. The one who has no filter is the one who thinks a lot of words mean a lot of wisdom. If I have to open my mouth every chance I get, it would mean that I do not have control over my lips. There is power in words. God is the first proof of that, who made the whole earth by the creative power of his Word. If I am made in his image, I carry the same power too. I would be living less than my full potential if I do not live out God's image in me. I cannot waste words, or speak as I please. My first and foremost priority must be to look, speak, act and relate like the God in whose image I have been made. That is the best service my life can produce, and God will be glorified in me. That is the best service of my life. Every other thing is secondary. May the Lord help me to guard my life, so that my life can make impact in line with his nature and power in me. His time of favour is here.