Scripture for Today: Proverbs 21:23 “Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity.”

No one enjoys being “hammered” in this part of a physical exam! When that reflex hammer strikes just below the patella, the leg is supposed to extend as an automatic reflex. This reaction is what helps maintain balance and posture without conscious thought. But the term has also come to mean an immediate unthinking and emotional response. And in fact, in life the knee-jerk reaction sometimes involves acting like a jerk!

Today’s verse cautions that our mouths and tongues need to be guarded. The automatic unthinking response can lead to calamity or to making a situation worse. And the automatic unthinking response is usually what comes out of our mouths! That “reflex hammer” can be anything that provokes, especially when we are tired. It is natural to just react but as believers, God’s Spirit offers self-control. (Gal. 5:22-23)

This morning my mouth needed guarding as an entire box of ear swabs scattered all over the less-than-clean floor! My tongue seems to be on automatic reflex when a car cuts me off on the road! That reflex hammer seems to strike when I least suspect. And I want the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart to be acceptable to my Creator. (Psalm 19:14)

Lord, help me to react in a way that pleases You.