Old Testament: Jeremiah 3 & 4
Poetry: Proverbs 5
New Testament: James 3
Yesterday we saw how the tongue can be vile, deceptive, and hurtful. How it can hurt even those closest to us. What do we do when something so small like the tongue controls us?
The Bible teaches us that the words by which we express our deepest desires, instincts, and opinions may produce helpful and pleasing fruit. The wise man of Proverbs 15:4 says “The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.” So, what we learned from the book of James is that the tongue is an instrument of extraordinary power, in spite of its size. Whatever its size, its most significant point is the connection to the heart — whether hardened by sin or recreated by grace.
James is chiefly concerned that we should have a sense of the convicting power of his teaching. For this reason he began by addressing the difficulty of taming the tongue. It is a word spoken primarily to bring conviction of sin. For the tongue is difficult, indeed impossible, to tame naturally, because, as we have also seen, it exercises power out of all proportion to its size. That means we can’t do it ourselves. It takes the regenerative power of God to make that happen. After regeneration, we begin to see and hear and seek after divine things; we begin to live a life of faith and holiness. Now Christ is formed in the hearts; now we are partakers of the divine nature, having been made new creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17). God, not man, is the source of this transformation (Ephesians 2:1, 8). God’s great love and free gift, His rich grace and abundant mercy, are the cause of the rebirth. The mighty power of God—the power that raised Christ from the dead—is displayed in the regeneration and conversion of sinners (Ephesians 1:19–20). What does all this mean? You have to remember something Paul said. “Whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped” (Romans 3:19). You have to add God’s law (the Bible) into your life. You have to say it out loud so your tongue can be trained and then it will go into your heart.
A Fire (verse 6). A small fire can destroy an entire forest; all it takes is an uncontrolled spark. So it is with the tongue. A sharp word, a loose sentence, a callous aside can cause a conflagration that cannot be extinguished. Words can consume and destroy a life. But a controlled fire can be used to light a path, make a campfire. Its up to you to allow God to change that tongue of yours. Will you allow God to control your tongue? I hope so. He gives life.
Here, then, are four resolutions on the use of the tongue to which James’ teaching gives us:
1. To ask God for wisdom to speak.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. . . . in faith with no doubting. . . . For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything . . . he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (James 1:5–8).
2. To boast only in Christ’s exaltation.
“Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away” (James 1:9–10).
3. To resist quarrelsome words as marks of a bad heart.
“What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?” (James 4:1).To be constantly quick to hear, slow to speak.
“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger” (James 1:19).
4. To never speak evil of another.
“Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge” (James 4:11).
-Andy Cisneros
Reflection Questions
- How can you use your tongue to bring life today?
- Which of the four resolutions is most difficult or overlooked for you? What could happen if you were more consistent with this resolution regarding the use of your tongue? How can you put a greater focus on following through with this resolution for the next 21 days?
Seek Grow Love 