The Fruit of the Mouth

(Proverbs 18:20 KJV)  A man's belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled.

At first all I could say after reading this verse was, “Whaaat?”  Actually I responded that way after reading over it several times.  Today I focused a little and it began to remind me of other teachings and connections.

Our lives produce “fruit” (6529).  We have the words of Jesus,

(Matthew 7:16 NASB)  "You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?

We have Paul talking about the fruit of the Spirit.  We are familiar with the concept of our lives bearing results based on what we are inside.

The first thing this reminds me of is that my “mouth” (6310) lays the groundwork for my behavior and how people receive me.  It is important what I say and how I say it.  Yesterday I had the chance to witness a little.  I found myself wondering if my mouth had prepared the way.  Had I been a gossip?  Had I been unkind?  Did the person I was talking to say to himself, “That is interesting” or did he think, “What a hypocrite”?

So?  What is the fruit of your mouth in everyday living?  It certainly gives me something to think about as a new day begins.