37,854 Liters of Spit & Other Things You Need to Know About the Mouth God Gave You

       18,927 two-liter drink bottles…that’s how much saliva one person produces in a lifetime. That’s 37,854 liters of spit. You need that saliva to swallow but you also need it in order for your 9,000 taste buds to work.
     Crazy stuff like this amazes me. It’s not just the numbers; it’s that there is a God, so infinitely wise and indescribably creative!

     You have to admit, the tongue is one of our most unusual muscles. It’s the only muscle in the body attached at one end only. Although our sense of taste is the weakest of our five senses, that wagging muscle has a lot of power.

     Three hundred and ninety-five verses, specifically about the mouth, are in the Bible. There's one hundred and fifty more just about the tongue. This doesn’t include verses about speaking, praying, lying or cursing. Think how many things you do with your mouth. God knew we would need a lot of guidance with this body part.

     The tongue is the strongest muscle in your body, relative to size. Just to speak you have to flex 72 muscles. What kind of workout are you giving your mouth? Are you building up or tearing down?

“Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice?

Listen, for I have worthy things to say; I open my lips to speak what is right. My mouth speaks what is true, for my lips detest wickedness.

All the words of my mouth are just; none of them is crooked or perverse.

 To the discerning, all of them are right;

they are faultless to those who have knowledge.”

Proverbs 8:1, 6-9 (NIV) 

     When God created you, he had a unique purpose in mind. Just as you have an inimitable fingerprint; God also gave you an exclusive tongue print. Think about that. Why would God do that?

    Of course, you are one of a kind from head to toe, but focus for a minute on why God gave you the mouth he did. Perhaps he wants you to be different. Perhaps he wants you to speak, sing, pray, teach, encourage, all those things in a way that only you can.
 

     Speak boldly for Christ when no one else will. Sing praises when everyone expects the opposite. Teach the Truth in places people say you cannot. Encourage others when everyone else has given up.

     What is God’s special calling for your mouth?

 

     It's not just for spit.