LEARNING DAILY

James 3:5-6, So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.

We finally got to these verses! I suggest you read James 3:1-12 to get the full thrust of what James wrote about the human tongue. Verse 9 continues, “With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.” The tongue – such a small part of the body, but oh the trouble it gets each of us in. I wonder if any of us realize the power that the tongue or what we say has. James writes it is a small organ that boasts of great things. He is not writing just about boasting but that it has the capacity to effect great results. He writes that the one who gains control of their tongue will be able to control their whole body.

The tongue can be used to accomplish great things. Be careful it also has the power to do great harm. It can create great chaos and destruction – “a fire, a world of unrighteousness.” Fire can be either a constructive or destructive force, depending on how it is controlled; the same is said of the tongue. The gift of speech is a great benefit. We use it to communicate information, express affection, and to praise God, among many other uses. When made use of in the proper way – under control – God’s truth can be spoken into those around us. It can be used to discipline children and those under one’s supervision. It can be used as a motivating factor in many different situations. But without control the results of words spoken in anger, frustration, and to control others can be that fire that “sets on fire the entire course of life and set on fire by hell.”

Here is the problem with lacking control over our tongue. The words we say without control are powerfully evil and destructive; that is a problem. Going back to verse 9, James points out two contrary ways the tongue is used. After James writes about the evil, untamable, unstable tongue, he writes that the same people use his/her words to praise the Lord. It would be easy to write that James was writing about nonbelievers and bad people. However, he was writing to those worshipping the One true God – Believers, you and me! Yikes!

That brings us to verse 10. “From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.” He is quite clear, and you and I must agree doing this makes no sense. Obviously, controlling the tongue is a problem for even Believers. We stumble over our tongue because we are not perfect! That is not an excuse, each Believe must do their best to imitate Jesus Christ in thought, word, and deed (Ephesians 5:1-2). Matthew Henry wrote this many years ago: “True religion will not admit of contradictions: how many sins would be prevented, if men would always be consistent! Pious and edifying language is the genuine produce of a sanctified heart; and none who understand Christianity, expect to hear curses, lies, boastings, and revilings from a true Believer’s mouth, any more than they look for the fruit of one tree from another.”

As Believers, each of us needs to strive to speak with kindness, honesty, and love by recognizing the impact our words have on others. A good beginning is asking the Holy Spirit to guide what we say and to help us control our speech. I’m going to strive to do better in building up those around me by putting controls on my tongue. Will you join me? God, I need your help, in the name of Jesus!