By Dr. Rebekah McCloud

I’m still going through Momma’s things. She had a lot of stuff; including things older than me. Every now and then I come across a box on which she’d written, “Becky, go through this.”

A couple of weeks ago, some of the grandkids came over to give me a hand. I overheard them talking about the treasures they might find.

One asked, “What if we find something good. You think we can keep it?”

Another answered, “No, you know the rules. You can’t find anything in the house.”

Another said, “Yeah but, Grandma always had money and candy in her pockets.”

When I walked into the room, one asked me, “Grandma, what if we find something good? Can we keep it?”

I thought about what Momma would say and I said “Yes, keep it and keep your mouth.”

Christ during his ministry often told folks to keep their mouth. In Matthew 12:15-16, a large crowd followed Jesus. He healed the ones who were ill among them. Verse 16 says, “he warned them not to tell others about him.” Keep your mouth.

In Mark 9:7-10, we read about the time Peter, James and John were returning with Jesus from the mountain where Jesus had been transfigured. Verse 9 says, “Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen.”  Keep your mouth.

In Luke 8:51-56, Jesus raises Jarius’ daughter from the dead. Verse 56 says, “Her parents were astonished, but he [Jesus] ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.” Keep your mouth.

There are several other examples of Jesus telling folks to keep their mouths. In Matthew 9:27-30, Jesus heals two blind men. In Mark 3:11-12, Jesus casts out demons. In Matthew 7:35-37, Jesus heals a leaper. After each of these events, Jesus tells them not to say anything. Keep your mouth.

The Bible also tells us how to keep our mouths during our everyday Christian walk. Proverbs is full of words of wisdom. Here are a few.

• Proverbs 21:23 says, “Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue, keeps himself out of trouble.”
• Proverbs 13:3 says, “Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life, he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.”
• Proverbs 29:11 says, “A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.”
• Proverbs 10:19 says in part, “Whoever restrains his lips is prudent.”

So, we are admonished to keep our mouths. I don’t know if any of you are like me. I’m going to boldly confess—because confession is good for the soul—sometimes, I find it hard to keep my mouth. I know Proverbs 18:21 says, “The tongue has the power of life and death.” I like the King James Version better, it says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.”

Even though I know this to be true, sometimes my tongue wants to wag. Now, I’m not going to ask any fellow tongue wagers to raise their hands. Keep that to yourself; just keep your mouth. Amen.

Daily, I’m learning how to do a better job of keeping my mouth. Stewardship is about more  than time, talent, money and resources. It’s also about living our lives as examples of the goodness and mercy of God. It’s about letting others see Jesus in us. I cannot be all that God wants me to be with loose lips. I must guard the what, when, how and why of what I say. Amen. Ecclesiastics 3:7 says, “there is a time to be silent and a time to speak” and Proverbs 17:29 in part says, “Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise.” I want to learn the time to be silent and I want to be considered wise. Keep your mouth.