Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits in the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 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, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.
I am not a teacher. God is the Teacher, I merely learn the lessons and write them down. Nothing more. He is the More that could be seen in these writings. It was Jesus who came down and lived the perfect life. Only He truly tamed the tongue, for He is God. He could stand silent before Pilate and speak confidently of God's Word before the Satan the tempter. Jesus used His tongue to light the world on fire. He taught what no one else could about what no one could achieve: God's standards. I needed to read this passage today for I have very little control over my tongue. It has been a lifelong struggle and will always be lifelong. So I work harder and harder through God's Holy Spirit to tame my tongue.
I have learned that the words coming out affect the attitude and choices of the one speaking them. Jesus only spoke righteous truth and He lived the righteous life. I have spoken in spite and without mercy and found myself acting angry towards others. The tongue has the ability to steer one's entire life in any direction. Whether that is good or bad depends on the words coming out. A spring can be blessed or cursed depending on the water coming out of it. If a man is thirsty and comes to drink and finds the water bitter, he will curse it and leave with greater thirst than he had before. God's Word is a spring of water that wells up and satisfies us and all who hear it. If it is God's Word flowing out of our mouths, then we are satisfied and so are those who God brings to us to hear His Words. For God pours out His Word through those who are filled with it by taking control of our tongues. This can only be done by God for man cannot tame the tongue.
James writes that man can tame every creature on land and in the sea, but he will never tame the tongue. But if given over to God, who tames even Leviathan (Job 41), the tongue can be made a fresh water spring. We produce what we take in. We first must take in God's Words through the Scriptures and His Spirit, and then pour them out instead of worldly wisdom, crude language, and foul speech. We need God's Word inside of us, changing us, our desires, and our thinking. With these changed, our speech changes. God will show us through His Wisdom when we should speak and, if so, what we should say. The tongue is a natural evil set on fire by hell, but God can turn it into an instrument of His own purposes. He can use it to tame our lives and those around us. Proverbs 12:18 says, There is one who's rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. God works through His Love for us. He shows us Grace and His Words express that. His Words for us are naturally healing and for our benefit. Often times we only look at what we'd lose at God's commands, but what we should look at what we gain.
God's Grace is actively moving in His Words. Words that call us to take off our old selves and put on new selves in Christ. These are the Words that first call us to Christ, to Grace, to be Loved and to be accepted and Children of God. They are the Words that promise eternal life with God and King. These are the Words of God spoken with the tongues of man to Glorify His Name. These are the Words God has blessed me with, both in hearing and in sharing. The Words we all need: We are Loved.
Thank You For Reading
Long Live Jesus Christ
Amen
