Junior Deacons

“‘Comport,’ refers to your physical posture, first, then, to your words; for your Actions precede words forever.
The Tongue must physically move before any sound may come out.

Dakkuan

“Whoever would love life
    and see good days
must keep their tongue from evil
    and their lips from deceitful speech.”

1 PETER 3:10

“ Let your conversation be always full of grace, 
seasoned with salt, 
so that you may know
how to answer everyone.”

Colossians 4:6

“ Do not let any
unwholesome talk
come out of your mouths, 
but only what is helpful
for building others up 
according to their needs,
that it may benefit those who listen.”

EPHESIANS 4:29

“Sin is not ended by multiplying words,
    but the prudent hold their tongues.”

Proverbs 10:19

“The soothing tongue is a tree of life,
    but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.”

Proverbs 15:4

“The heart of the righteous weighs its answers,
    but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.”

Proverbs 15:28

“Whoever would foster love
covers over an offense,
    but whoever repeats the matter
separates close friends.”

Proverbs 17:9

“ What goes into someone’s mouth
does not defile them, 
but what comes out of their mouth,
that is what defiles them.”

MATTHEW 15:11

“Those who guard their mouths and their tongues
    keep themselves from calamity.”

PROVERBS 21:23

“Without wood
a fire goes out;
    without a gossip
a quarrel
dies down.”

PROVERBS 26:20

“She speaks with wisdom,
    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.”

PROVERBS 31:26

“keep your tongue from evil
    and your lips from telling lies.”

PSALMS 34:13

“Set a guard over my mouth, Lord;
    keep watch over the door of my lips.”

PSALMS 141:3

“Remind the people
to be subject to rulers and authorities, 
to be obedient,
to be ready to do whatever is good,
 to slander no one, 
to be peaceable and considerate,
and always to be gentle toward everyone.”

TITUS 3:1-2

“From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled;
    with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.
The tongue has the power of life and death,
    and those who love it will eat its fruit.”

PROVERBS 18:20-21

“The one who has knowledge
uses words with restraint,
    and whoever has understanding
is even-tempered.
Even fools are thought wise
if they keep silent,
    and discerning
if they hold their tongues.

PROVERBS 18:20-21

“The words of the wicked
lie in wait for blood,
    but the speech of the upright
rescues them
The wicked are overthrown
and are no more,
    but the house of the righteous
stands firm.”

PROVERBS 12:6-7

“Evildoers are trapped by their sinful talk,
    and so the innocent escape trouble.
From the fruit of their lips
people are filled with good things,
    and the work
of their hands
brings them reward.”

PROVERBS 12:13-14

“The words of the reckless pierce like swords,
    but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Truthful lips endure forever,
   but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.”

PROVERBS 12:18-19

“A gentle answer turns away wrath,
    but a harsh word stirs up anger.
The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge,
    but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.”

PROVERBS 15:1-2

“May my lips overflow with praise,
    for you teach me your decrees.
May my tongue sing of your word,
    for all your commands are righteous.
May your hand be ready to help me,
    for I have chosen your precepts.”

PSALMS 119:171-173

“There are six things the Lord hates,
    seven that are detestable to him:
 haughty eyes,
        a lying tongue,
        hands that shed innocent blood,
 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
        feet that are quick to rush into evil,
  a false witness who pours out lies
        and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.”

PROVERBS 6:16-19

“An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends
and against all sound judgment starts quarrels.
2 Fools find no pleasure in understanding
but delight in airing their own opinions.
3 When wickedness comes, so does contempt,
and with shame comes reproach.
4 The words of the mouth are deep waters,
but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream.
5 It is not good to be partial to the wicked
and so deprive the innocent of justice.
6 The lips of fools bring them strife,
and their mouths invite a beating.
7 The mouths of fools are their undoing,
and their lips are a snare to their very lives.
8 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
they go down to the inmost parts.”

PROVERBS 18:1-8

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ²⁰ because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. ²¹ Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
²² Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ²³ Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴ and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵ But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
²⁶ Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.”

JAMES 1:19-26

“You who practice deceit,
    your tongue plots destruction;
    it is like a sharpened razor.
³ You love evil rather than good,
    falsehood rather than speaking the truth.^[a]
4 You love every harmful word,
    you deceitful tongue!
⁵ Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin:
    He will snatch you up and pluck you from your tent;
    he will uproot you from the land of the living.
⁶ The righteous will see and fear;
    they will laugh at you, saying,
⁷ “Here now is the man
    who did not make God his stronghold
but trusted in his great wealth
    and grew strong by destroying others!”
⁸ But I am like an olive tree
    flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God’s unfailing love
    for ever and ever.
⁹ For what you have done I will always praise you
    in the presence of your faithful people.
And I will hope in your name,
    for your name is good.”

PSALMS 52:2-9

“Lord, how many are my foes!
    How many rise up against me
Many are saying of me,
    “God will not deliver him.”

PSALMS 3:1-2

“Like one who grabs a stray dog by the ears
    is someone who rushes into a quarrel not their own.
¹⁸ Like a maniac shooting
    flaming arrows of death
¹⁹ is one who deceives their neighbor
    and says, “I was only joking!”
²⁰ Without wood a fire goes out;
    without a gossip a quarrel dies down.
²¹ As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire,
    so is a quarrelsome person for kindling strife.
²² The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
    they go down to the inmost parts.
²³ Like a coating of silver dross on earthenware
    are fervent lips with an evil heart.
²⁴ Enemies disguise themselves with their lips,
    but in their hearts they harbor deceit.
²⁵ Though their speech is charming, do not believe them,
    for seven abominations fill their hearts.
²⁶ Their malice may be concealed by deception,
    but their wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.
²⁷ Whoever digs a pit will fall into it;
    if someone rolls a stone, it will roll back on them.
²⁸ A lying tongue hates those it hurts,
    and a flattering mouth works ruin.”

PROVERBS 26:17-28