Quote: Life and death are in the power of the tongue. Proverbs 18:21
Scripture: “Even so the tongue is a little member and boast of great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.” James 3:5-9
Compared to the rest of our body the tongue is very small. No bigger than two fingers, and yet it has enormous power to inflict harm on others. It is so set in our bodies that it can defile our whole being. It is a world of sin unto itself and others. It sets ablaze the whole course of nature, and it is set afire by hell itself. It is this fiery nature of our tongues that can cause us so much trouble. We all have memories of situations where we wish we had held our tongue, and we all live with vivid recollections of hurting someone we love by a quick spark of flame from our tongues.
With this unruly member we can bless God and others, give encouragement and hope, and yet with the same organ we can gossip, slander, hurt, demean, backbite, devastate others, ruin reputations, and destroy relationships. It truly can be a world of iniquity. James goes on to say. . .
Scripture: “Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? No spring yields both salt water and fresh.” (3:10-12)
How many times have you wished that you had not said something and wished you could take it back? I know I have. I have said things to hurt my own children and my wife– the very people I love the most. But we can’t take them back. Emily Dickinson wrote a little poem on this: “Some say a word once said is dead. I say it only begins to live that day.” That may not be an exact quote, but you get the idea. How many times have you said to yourself or someone said to you, “Watch your mouth!” But we can’t watch our mouth. Try it. You cannot see your mouth. It is so set among our members that we can’t see it. Try to watch your mouth. You can’t! That is the message from James. You cannot in your own strength or perseverance or power tame your own tongue. Why? Because it is set on fire by hell itself It is an unruly member, and James declares that “no man can tame the tongue.” Only surrendering your tongue to God will tame it. As long as it is driven by selfish desire, envy and self-seeking there will only be confusion and every evil thing.
James goes on to say. . .
“But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not lie and boast against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.” (James 3:14-17)
