Several have asked me to post the week-long speech check referred to in last week’s sermon. Here it is, adapted loosely from World Harvest Mission, via Tullian Tchividjian.

The exercise is to spend an entire week (start with a day) without protecting yourself with your tongue. So:

Don’t gossip
Don’t complain about anything
Don’t blameshift
Don’t defend yourself
Don’t boast at all
Don’t criticize (yes, there is good criticism… but not for this exercise :>)

Do speak only good
Do encourage
Do speak only of your weaknesses (not strengths)
Do admit quickly when a hint of wrong

The point in this exercise is to see what James is proclaiming… that no human being can tame the tongue, and that the one who does is perfect (not you or me).

That’s so we can come back to the hope that we do have… of Jesus Christ, His work in the Gospel. May our eyes be fixed on Him, may our hope be ensconced in Him, may our speech more and more reflect our awareness of our identity in His family!