Love God, Love Each Other....Watch Your Tongue!

The title sums up the Ten Commandments very nicely.  If we do these two all the other commandments are automatically observed.  Sounds easy enough doesn't it? 

I'm going to confess it, "loving each other" is not always easy for me.   It isn't that I don't like some people and wish them harm.  I seriously can't think of anyone I truly dislike.  It's just that some people really get on my last nerve.  I find when folks do things I think should be done differently or should be done at a different time it is completely necessary to let everyone I know hear about it.  Am I alone here?   Am I the only one who fights this battle of the tongue and heart?  Mostly it's my unruly tongue.  I truly, in my heart, love most folks. 

God's command to love each other should be the simplest thing we do in life and I'm pretty sure most of us struggle in this area.  I know that because I talk to many people during the course of any given week.  I know that wherever two or more are gathered....there will be gossip!  I'm can wag my tongue with the best of them too.  Soooooo....how do we all change our ways? 

I'm thinking getting control of our hearts is less of an issue but that TONGUE....that's another thing entirely.  Maybe practice truly does make perfect.  How about a 21 day program of practicing keeping my ugly thoughts to myself and when I feel the urge to utter something negative I simply say something positive instead.  OR say nothing at all.  After all, if I don't really mean it maybe it's just better to remain silent. 

Starting today I promise to do my best to catch myself when I am tempted to gossip.  Starting today I promise to try to see the other side of any question.  Starting today I promise to practice holding my tongue.  At the end of 21 days we'll see how I did.  (Let's meet back here on September 26 and determine how successful this little experiment has been!) 

Proverbs 18:8 – “The words of gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man’s inmost parts.” (NIV)

1 Timothy 5:13 – “Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to.” (NIV)