Your Tongue

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.


⁷ Every sea creature, reptile, bird, or animal is tamed and has been tamed by man, ⁸ but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.^(G) 9 We praise our Lord and Father with it, and we curse men who are made in God’s likeness with it.^(H) 10 Praising and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers, these things should not be this way.¹¹ Does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening? ¹² Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a saltwater spring yield fresh water.
-James 3:3-12 (HCSB)


James has nothing good to say about the tongue. Look at how he describes it in verse 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 and fire, and is set on fire by hell." The tongue, among the smallest parts of our bodies, and it is responsible for polluting the whole body. How? Verse 5 says, "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." The tongue boasts great things, how many of those "great things" are lies or just stories that stretch the truth. I've seen relationships crumble because of a story that stretched the truth. Verse 9 says, "We praise our Lord and Father with it, and we curse men who are made in God's likeness with it." With our tongue, we praise God, and we curse our brothers and sisters. How can we claim to love and follow God, and curse our brothers and sisters, who are made in the image of God? It can't be done. 


James gives us examples in verses 11-12, "Does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening? Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a saltwater spring yield fresh water." James is teaching us the importance of controlling our tongue. Can we praise God and hate our brother at the same time? Well, does a spring produce both good and bad water from the same opening? Can a fig tree produce olives? Can a grapevine produce a fig? Can a saltwater spring produce fresh water? The answer to all these things is: NO! Neither can a person love God and hate their brother.  


What does your tongue reveal about you? Can people see your love for God and others through your tongue? Or can they see your hatred for God and others? Think About It.