8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. 9 Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. 10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!
-James 3:8-10 (New Living Translation)
Words are dangerous. Whether they be spoken or written, our words are dangerous and powerful. Look at what James has to say about our tongue, the place our words come from.
"but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison." The tongue can't be tamed, it can't be brought under control. It's restless, it's evil, it's full of deadly poison. These are strong ways to describe a small part of the body. Maybe that's why many of us, including me, "put our foot in our mouths." We speak and write things that shouldn't be spoken or written, or even thought in many instances. The deadly poison that comes out harms another, or harms a group of people. We speak without thinking, we speak without seeing the big picture. Look at verse 9, "Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God." Can we praise our Lord Jesus Christ, and God the Father, with the same mouth that we curse our brothers and sisters who are still under the control of sin? The answer, as found at the end of verse 10 is, "this is not right!" Our words should build others up (edify) rather than tear others down.
What deadly poison is coming out of your mouth today? Think About It.
No comments:
Post a Comment