TONGUE-TIED AND DUMB ON THINGS OF CHRIST? By JC Ryle

“What do we know ourselves of spiritual conversation with other Christians? Perhaps we read our Bibles, and pray in private, and use public means of grace. It is all well, very well; but if we stop short here we neglect a great privilege and have yet much to learn. We ought to “consider one another to provoke unto love and good works”; we ought to exhort and “edify one another” (Heb. 10:24; 1 Thess. 5:11). Have we no time for spiritual conversation? Let us think again.

The quantity of time wasted on frivolous, trifling, and unprofitable talk, is fearfully great. Do we find nothing to say on spiritual subjects? Do we feel tongue-tied and dumb on things of Christ? Surely if this is the case there must be something wrong within. A heart right in the sight of God will generally find words. “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). Let us learn the lesson from the two travelers to Emmaus. Let us speak of Jesus, when we are sitting in our houses and when we are walking by the way, whenever we can find a disciple to speak to (Deut. 6:7).