Taming the Tongue
3 Not many of you should become teachers,
my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more
strictly. 2 We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never
at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.
3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or 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. 5 Likewise, 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.
6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of
evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole
course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles
and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but
no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly
poison.
9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and
Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s
likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing.
My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both
fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My
brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither
can a salt spring produce fresh water.
As a
women, a desirer of details-a person of many words, I feel convicted by this
week's verses. It is difficult to restrain ourselves from saying just a little
bit of the unnecessary, negative details of situations. After reading this, I
have decided that I need to take my tongue to obedience school. (Dad, do your
dog obedience classes accept humans with tongues that desperately need taming?!
:-)) I hope that as you read the verses below, you will find that your tongues
are in check, if not; join me in obedience school...
3 Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow
believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2
We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what
they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.
I am intimidated to be doing what I am doing right now, because I have
read the above scripture. I have an earnest desire to invite others to know our
God as intimately as I do- to experience the freedom that I have received from
fellowship with Him. With that comes great responsibility. I am extremely
humbled and challenged because I know that I fall short on my own. I am far
from perfect and sometimes need to check myself minute by minute! Can you
relate? In James 1:26 it says "Those who consider themselves religious
and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their
religion is worthless." I certainly do not want my desire to further
the Kingdom of Christ
3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or 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. 5 Likewise, 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. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
Many times I
am able to pull the bridle of my mouth and stop myself from releasing the evil
thought that crept up in my mind. But other times, sometimes depending on the
company I am with, I have relaxed the bridle so much or even removed it
completely while I just let the thought roll off my tongue without any filter
at all. Shameful, just shameful.
It is so
interesting to read verses 3 through 6, because it reminds me of how such a
little, seemingly insignificant, part of our body can do so much damage. Damage
to our souls and to others. I am sure we have all heard the saying "sticks
and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." How many
of you learned that from your parents when they tried to encourage you after
you were the collateral damage of a friend's or acquaintance’s words? How many
of you have repeated it to your child? It is so easy to say, but living that
out is not so easy...
The
scripture confirms this- the tongue can be toxic. It "corrupts"-
notice that verse 6 says it "corrupts the whole body, sets the whole
course of one's life on fire." The one speaking the word(s) ultimately
gets the consequence. So many times, I think we assume the one hearing the
words is the one that will receive the evil from the message, but verse 6
clearly states that it is the tongue taking action that is receiving self
destruction.
7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea
creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but
no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly
poison.
What to do?
We are able to tame all of the animals listed above, our dogs, cats, etc. But,
we are not able to tame our own tongues? I guess I will not be able to enroll
in any of those obedience school courses after all. I do, however, take
encouragement from the Psalmist in Psalm 120:2-3. "Save me, Lord,
from lying lips and from deceitful tongues. What will he do to you, and what
more besides, you deceitful tongue?" "Save me, Lord"- from
myself. Matthew 15:11 also offers solace, "What goes into someone's
mouth does not defile the, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what
defiles them." If we can just make sure it never reaches our lips.
Just like in last week's blog- re-direct our thoughts. In this case, take the
evil, discouraging, not helpful comments, and trash them. Because when they hit
the trampoline of our tongue, they bounce right into the fiery pit.
9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and
with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10
Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and
sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt
water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters,
can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring
produce fresh water.
When we are
using our tongue to sin, we are not able to worship. We must practice self
control, because there will be a consequence for our actions. Matthew 12:36
states "But I tell you that everyone will have to give account
on the day of judgment every empty word they have spoken." We should
filter our thoughts through that verse... Are the words that are about to leave
my lips "empty" or full of life? These verses focus on our
personal consequences, but let us be reminded that many of us have experienced
the damage of "empty" words spoken by others in which we or
our family have been the subject matter. Those words can make others feel
pretty empty as well.
What comes
from our tongues is a reflection of what resides in our hearts. In verse 12 it
says that "Neither can not a salt spring produce fresh water." Just
like nothing lives in the salt filled Dead Sea ,
salt water poured over a plant will kill it. On the other hand, pouring fresh
water on a plant will bring it life. In a similar way- water or in our case,
words- can be destructive to the point of death or so uplifting that it
produces life. As a wife and mother I speak more than 50% of the words in the
household. Just think what an impact our words have on the atmosphere of our
home. Each time we speak, we can choose which result we would like to
produce...I desire to be a fresh water spring that encourages others and
creates a positive, uplifting environment.
Looking
forward to studying James 3: 13-18 with you next week!
M
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