"Ready - Fire - Aim"

“Ready, Fire, Aim.” You will never find these instructions in the manual that comes with a firearm. The reasons are obvious. The results would be disastrous. Someone would eventually get seriously hurt. Learning how to aim is the key to using a firearm and it is also the key to using our words.
I have never done this, and never will, but if I were to carry around a tape recorder with me all day I wonder what my words would sound like. How many of my words just shot out of my mouth with little thought or aim given to them? Proverbs gives us a wonderful word picture to help us to use our tongues properly. So no one gets hurt.

Proverbs 25:11 “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.”

Apples of gold in settings of silver, that is a beautiful table setting. Pleasant to the eyes. Solomon compares that to words fitly or rightly spoken.
There is something very beautiful about the right word at the right time isn’t there. We’ve all been victims of people trying help and all they have done is hurt. They fired but forgot to aim. And we have all been the recipient of that right word, that fitting word and know how much it meant to us.

• A word fitly spoken at the graveside of a loved one is a memorable thing.
• A word fitly spoken to that teenager whose heart has been broken is a precious thing.
• A word fitly spoken to those who need a loving rebuke is a valuable thing.
• A word fitly spoken is a word that has been chosen with a great deal of thought and preparation.
• A word fitly spoken is a word spoken with the right attitude, the proper tone and at the right time.

Shooting from the hip seldom brings images of apples of Gold in settings of silver. It usually conjures up images of a train wreck. The Apostle Peter was never at a loss for words, and on one occasion it even tells us in Mark’s Gospel that Peter spoke and the only reason he spoke was because he didn’t know what to say. That's the equivalent of saying I'm not sure where to aim so I'm just going to start shooting. It might be wise to turn off the tape recorder before you start. Jesus tell us in Matthew 12:36 something that should make us all reach for the duck tape "I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak," with that in mind we should listen to this great counsel from Ecclesiastes

12: 9 - 10 “Besides being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging many proverbs with great care. The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.”

Proverbs reminds us to learn to choose our words thoughtfully , especially in tense, emotional settings. Think about what would encourage, and uplift. Often I have found that a few words can speak volumes. We cannot take our words back once they are said. Therefore, seek to find right words, fitting words, and if you can’t find them and don’t know what to say ( can't get the aim right) that’s ok. Take your hand off the trigger. (Bite your tongue) Believe it or not, sometimes our hurting friends, or our kids, don’t need our words, they just need us put an arm around them and be quiet. Remember, Silence can be golden as well.