Oh, my aching tongue! You may never say that unless you bite your tongue. And while biting your tongue is painful and most of us avoid doing it as often as possible, it may be a something we should practice on a much more regular schedule.

If the heart isn’t right, the tongue won’t be right. And that’s the problem.

When the heart isn’t right, it flaps the tongue like a national flag in the wind. Suddenly all kinds of flattery, slander, strife, boasting, profanity and lying is coming out of our mouth and one day, if not today, we really will be saying,

“Oh, my aching tongue!!” Because Jesus warned us, “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36-37)

We are all going to need some ice for that sore muscle. If you want to control the tongue, you need to cleanse the heart.

Dr. William Burnham is pastor of Point of Grace Church in Covington. He can be reached at burnhamw@charter.net.