Controlling the tongue is a tedious discipline that is bound to keep you busy.
James 1:26 If anyone thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, then his religion is useless and he deceives himself.
James 3:1-12 Not many should become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive a stricter judgment, 2 for we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a mature man who is also able to control his whole body.
3 Now when we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we also guide the whole animal. 4 And consider ships: Though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things. Consider how large a forest a small fire ignites. 6 And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among the parts of our bodies. It pollutes the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is set on fire by hell. Read more...
What a description that we have on the power of the tongue, a single match has the potential to start a huge wildfire. Maybe it was just a drive by, one of those careless moments when the match is tossed out a car window without realizing the potential. Too often we can have a verbal drive by where we carelessly toss out some words and then the sparks begin to fly.
James tell us that we should not think too highly of ourselves if we cannot control our tongue. He tells us that there is a connection between what we say and what is in our heart. Maybe he was around when Jesus told the Pharisees that they didn't have any chance of speaking anything other than evil because of the condition of their heart.
Matthew12:34 Brood of vipers! How can you speak good things when you are evil? For the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.
If we want to control our tongue then we need to control what goes into our mind and what we dwell on in our heart. I need to be "digging the word" of God everyday so that I will keep my mind and my meditations focused on seeing things from God's point of view. That way I can speak about things from God's point of view.
Psalms 19:14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.
Help me Lord to always be slow to speak and to be mindful of the conversations that I have.
James tell us that we should not think too highly of ourselves if we cannot control our tongue. He tells us that there is a connection between what we say and what is in our heart. Maybe he was around when Jesus told the Pharisees that they didn't have any chance of speaking anything other than evil because of the condition of their heart.
Matthew12:34 Brood of vipers! How can you speak good things when you are evil? For the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.
If we want to control our tongue then we need to control what goes into our mind and what we dwell on in our heart. I need to be "digging the word" of God everyday so that I will keep my mind and my meditations focused on seeing things from God's point of view. That way I can speak about things from God's point of view.
Psalms 19:14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.
Help me Lord to always be slow to speak and to be mindful of the conversations that I have.
