Some things are better left unsaid, especially in the presence of those who are looking for some reason to doubt the reality of your faith in Christ. A watching world is far more likely to remember your lapse than your light. Christians are continually on display and careless words can spoil a testimony that has taken years to build.

A fit of anger can be forgiven at the moment you confess your sin to the Lord, but it will never be forgotten by those who witnessed your explosion. Your demand for your rights may seem perfectly justified but it would be far better to take wrong if your witness for Christ would be damaged by some indignant outburst.

Perhaps you remember a time when you lowered your standards of speech before others. You complained when you should have been thankful. You used near profanity to punctuate and emphasize an argument. You gave someone a piece of your mind over a trifle.

What can you do about it?

Probably nothing. Even apologies may accomplish little.

But you can bridle your tongue in the future. There are more important things than getting your way. If you are a Christian, you represent your Saviour. You are the best Christian somebody knows. Don’t give the enemies of the Lord cause to rejoice.

When you feel like exploding, keep that bridle handy.

Don’t disappoint Jesus by what you say.

Take heed…that you sin not with your tongue!