Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!"

During a previous message to the children in our church, I held two balls; one was a golf ball, the other a ping pong ball. The message taught the children the importance of choosing our words wisely. Both balls are the same size with little difference in their appearance but if hurled at someone, the golf ball would cause much more damage. We would be surprised how often we say things that could have been received much better had we only said it a different way. "Sticks and stones my break my bones but words will never hurt me" is simply not true.

Rick Warren makes an interesting observation about America and Russia during the Cold War. He says that both nations were at each other's throats. America had thousands of intercontinental missiles aimed at Russia. We could destroy the entire nation. Russia had missiles aimed at us, too. Even when we were at the worst point in the Cold War and there was enormous tension, both sides still had enough sanity to say, some weapons we just aren't going to use because they're "MAD" - mutually assured destruction.

That's what can happen when we engage in arguments, we can cause mutually assured destruction. Before these situations occur, pray as David did that the Lord will set a guard over your mouth and keep watch over the doors of your lips. Choose your words wisely.