Two Lips

Two Lips
By Shirley Mitchell
"I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips."
Psalm 34:1

When Mikayla was very young, she told the same joke over and over, day after day. She asked me, "What flower grows between your chin and your nose?" Even though I had heard the joke multiple times every day, I played along with her every time and said, "I don't know, Mikayla. Tell me." Each time she would giggle and say, "Two - Lips, Mama. Two - Lips. Get it? You know the flower - tulips."

Now that she is older I'm teaching her about the power of those two lips. I'm known for having a list of Bible verses on a colored, usually laminated, sheet in my Bible, by my computer, by my mirror, and sometimes in my car for the dead time at stoplights or busy traffic. So I'm making a red, lip-shaped sheet with Bible verses that talk about the purpose and power of our lips in honor of her favorite childhood joke.

God's Word is filled with people using their lips to praise Him. Psalm 34:1 tells us about the heart of David who exclaimed, "I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips." My favorite verse in the Old Testament is Psalm 63:3, "Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you." Oh, my, it just gets me every time. His love is better than life itself and every part of living so that I can't help but praise Him! Because God had taught one psalmist His decrees, his lips overflowed with praise (Psalm 119:171). He valued God's instructions so much that he could not remain reserved but spilled praise about how wonderful our God is!

God's Word tells us the value and the benefits of having lips of His character. Proverbs 20:15 says, "Gold there is, and rubies in abundance, but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel." I didn't know that when I'm speaking something with some knowledge that I'm making some rare jewels. I must have put a few good words together to get a small jewelry box together for heaven. Truthful lips endure forever (Proverbs 12:19). We win God's delight with truthful lips while He detests lying lips (Proverbs 12:22). I would much rather choose to win His delight than the Mighty God's detest! Proverbs 10:32 says "The lips of the righteous know what is fitting, but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse." Since I've stuck my foot in my mouth so many times, I know the value of being able to speak what is fitting and appropriate instead of really stupid. Proverbs 13:3 says, "He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin." I can attest that rash words bring ruin, and guarding my lips sure does make my life simpler.

God deals with people who use their lips for evil. God silences lying lips (Psalm 31:18). God cuts off flattering lips (Psalm 12:3). God catches prideful lips (Psalm 59:12). We are to not let the names of other gods be heard on our lips (Exodus 23:13). Lips can be a person's undoing, prove she's a fool, and snare her soul (Proverbs 18:6-7).

When Nebuchadnezzar boasted of his great wealth, power, glory and the city of Babylon that he had built, God humbled him while his arrogant words were still on his lips. God stripped him of his authority and gave him a disease where he had delusions of being a wild animal. When he learned to use his lips to honor and glorify God who had dominion over him, God restored his sanity and his throne.

God also has a message to us if we think our lips just get twisted, fall all over themselves at the wrong time, and that God could not use them. When Moses told God he was too scared to confront Pharaoh about letting the Israelites go, he told the Creator of his lips that his lips were faltering and questioned whether Pharaoh would listen to him. God gave him Aaron to speak for him, but if you read the story of Moses, God also used those lips of Moses many times in the deliverance of the Israelites from bondage, to the desert, and to the edge of the Promised Land.

Lastly, it doesn't do us any good to have unfaltering lips that flow with praise if our hearts are far from Him. In Matthew 15:8, Jesus says, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." The point is that the lips should stem from motivations to be close to our God and have an intimate relationship with Him.

Pray with me: Oh, Almighty God, You are worthy of praise! Bring our hearts near to You so that when we honor You, it is real because we are intimate with You. Help us to guard our lips and to say only what is fitting. We don't want to be eating the leather of our shoe inserted in our mouths anymore, but we want praises of You to overflow from our lips. Give us lips that speak knowledge, a rare jewel. You created our lips and have the power to use them for Your glory. So Lord we say aloud with our lips, "We praise You, God Most High, the God of all power, authority, and dominion. We exalt You above all other gods." It's in the Name above all names, in Jesus' Name, Yeshua's Name, we pray. Amen.

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