I remember wondering why IBM would choose such a motto for the company—just “Think”. Doesn’t everybody think?, I thought. Now I understand the importance of that simple one-word motto, because often we just don’t think enough. For example, how frequently are we engaging our mouths, saying things without thinking? And that usually ends up causing all kinds of trouble.

A friend once told me that her teenage daughter and she had agreed to each wear a bracelet that says “Think”, as a way to remind them to think before they speak. Well, I got to thinking about that, and decided that was a good idea. Just to remind myself to think about what I’m going to say before I say it. Don’t you think this could have dramatic positive results for all of us—if we just took time to think more?

Psalm 141:3 says, “Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.” Perhaps wearing a bracelet that says “Think” will help us to set guards over our mouths so that we think about what we say before we say it.

Today I want to give you an acrostic of the word “think,” to help you determine whether you should say what you are starting to say or not.

T is true: Is it true? Do you know for certain that what you are just about to say is true? If not, don’t say it.

If you think before you speak and determine that you’re not sure what you’re about to say is true, this will eliminate most gossip. Gossip is usually something we’ve heard but don’t really know for sure, but we freely pass it on. After all, it’s juicy and we just want to tell somebody that juicy tidbit. But if we start to think before we speak, and ask ourselves, “Is this true?”, we’ll go a long way to eliminating gossipy talk—and that’s a very good thing.

Also, it will keep you from imagining bad things that could happen, like “They’ll probably lay off a lot of us,” or “I’m sure he’ll give me a bad review.” You don’t know those imagined bad things to be true, so don’t say them to yourself or anyone else.

H is helpful. Are the words you’re just getting ready to say going to help anyone? If not, don’t say them.

Ephesians 4:29 is one of the most powerful verses in the Bible, in my opinion, and if we practiced it, we would think before we speak. It says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

Some years ago I began praying this verse into my life, and I encourage you to do the same. Then I noticed that when I would start to say something, I would often hear that inaudible voice of God’s Spirit saying, “Is this going to help anyone else; will it benefit those who listen?” That has caused me to stop in the middle of lots of sentences, as I realized that I didn’t need to say what I was planning to say because it wasn’t helpful to anyone else.

Can you even imagine the wonderful changes that would take place on our jobs, in our churches, and in our homes if we determined not to speak any words that were unwholesome, that did not benefit others? That would eliminate griping and complaining; it would keep us from nagging people; it would cause us to stop passing on gossip. My goodness, it would make a difference in the way we live.

So, today, think about what you’re going to say before you say it. It’s so much easier to swallow those unhelpful words than it is to try to recover from them once they are said. If it’s not helpful, just don’t say it.

I stands for inspiring. Will your words inspire the person who hears them in some way, even if it’s very small? If not, maybe you don’t need to say them.

Now I need to make it clear that I’m talking about inspiring someone for good purposes, because it’s possible to inspire someone to do something wrong. But how wonderful it is when someone speaks inspiring words to us. I remember a day when I particularly needed some encouragement,