My Friend James: The Tongue
My friend, James, really gets on his soapbox about the tongue!
James 3:2 [NKJV] For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he [is] a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.
I appreciate the fact that he treats the discussion as though the tongue itself is a tool, an object to be tamed and controlled.
He isn’t saying it is a mind or heart problem, although certainly having a heart of love and the mind of God would surely help in our efforts to tame the tongue. He is saying the tongue is a tool to use wisely.
James 3:9-12 [NKJV] 9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring send forth fresh [water] and bitter from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.
Proverbs 16:13 [NKJV] tells us, “Righteous lips [are] the delight of kings, And they love him who speaks [what is] right.”
Because the tongue is a tool, we must choose how to use it. Will we use it to praise God? Bring forth good things like encouragement and blessings for our family, friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, neighbors and acquaintances?
Will we even use it to pray for our enemies as we are told to do in Matthew 5:44 [NKJV], where it says, "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,”
Sweet sisters, will our tongues be tools for fresh water that souls the thirsty souls of this world?
Or will we let them be just another bringer of bitterness to this world by falling into gossip and complaining and angry words?
Proverbs 16:13 [NKJV] tells us, “Righteous lips [are] the delight of kings, And they love him who speaks [what is] right.”
How much more is THE King be delighted when the lips and tongues of His daughters speak righteousness?
Our friend, James, gets pretty pointed about the tongue. He admits it can be tough to control, but we have the power of the Holy Spirit and the knowledge that it is God working in us that makes good possible.
Philippians 2:13 [NKJV] “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for [His] good pleasure.”
God, through the Holy Spirit, will help us control our tongues, not just to keep from saying what we shouldn’t, but also to ensure we say what we should – words of encouragement and truth and love.
Let’s pray to use the tool of the tongue for good, for encouragement for the glory of God and the preaching of the Gospel. If we are focused on using our tongues for that, maybe there won’t even be any time or place for it to be used for bad.
I hope you will continue to meet with me here and will share your own thoughts on the book of James.
You can write me any time at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org