Taming the Tongue
1Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.3When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
7All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
9With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
This is one of my favorite parts of James, because it is one of the most challenging and the most visual of all the passages. Check out what it says in verse 6: "The tongue is a fire...and is itself set on fire by hell." Pretty harsh words huh?
Well think about this - have you ever said something that you thought was no big deal, and someone overheard you and it totally blew up and became this huge issue, and maybe even made people really mad or upset? Or have you ever said something not-so-nice about someone, and they found out somehow, and they were really upset about it? I know I have! That is what James is warning us about here. The tongue is such a small part of the body, but yet it can cause so much destruction. We cannot praise God with the same mouth that we cut others down with. It just doesn't work. Look at verse 9 - men (and women) have been made in God's likeness, so by insulting people, we are insulting God and his creation.
Keep a tight reign on your tongue - be careful what you say!
Dear Lord, help us to keep our tongues under control with what we say. Help us not to speak badly about other people. Forgive us for the times when we have said things that made you unhappy. Help us to keep praising you, and to keep loving others. Thank you for your forgiveness and grace. We love you and we praise you. Amen.
Lots of love,
Aubrey <><
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