Today in God's Word—July 2023
East Tallassee Church of Christ
July 10, James 3
Somewhere in my brain there must be an area where the spoken word is stored. When I think about them, I can play back good words of encouragement I heard many years ago. Unfortunately, that same area also seems to store some things I’ve heard that weren’t encouraging at all—things that hurt my feelings and wounded my spirit. It’s not a good idea to spend too much time thinking about those hurtful words.
If we know it’s true about things said to us, we must also acknowledge it’s true about things we say to others. Our words have tremendous power to heal and build, or to wound and tear down. It’s our job to control our tongue, and use this power for good purposes.
The power of the spoken word is like any power —it must be used with wisdom and care. To handle power carelessly is to invite disaster. James said the tongue is a fire. When fire is cooking my food on the grill in a carefully controlled setting, it’s a good thing. When it’s burning down my house because it got out of control, it’s a bad thing. James said the tongue is harder to tame than a wild animal. When the horse or other domesticated animal is serving us with its strength, we’re blessed by its power. But when that strength gets out of hand, people get hurt and material gets recorded for those television programs that show horrifying moments captured on video.
James also addressed a matter most of us can understand about the unnatural phenomenon of blessing and cursing coming from the same tongue. How can that be? No spring can pour out both fresh water and salt water. No plant produces the fruit of some other species. Jesus said our speech comes from the overflow of our heart. When our speech is ugly and hateful, we’re telling on ourselves about the condition of our heart.
Some people seem to struggle with this more than others. I admit I’m challenged to control my
tongue. Our words influence the people around us. (That’s why James mentioned the serious responsibility of being a teacher at the beginning of the discussion.) When our speech is under the influence of the wisdom from above, our associates will be blessed by what we say. But when our speech is controlled by earthly, unspiritual, demonic forces, we will spread disorder and pain in our relationships.
If someone followed you around today collecting sound bites, what would those speech samples say about your tongue control and your discipleship? Like every other aspect of our submission to the Lord, our tongue control will be imperfect. But an honest appraisal of the things we say should give us a reliable picture of the trend in our discipleship.
From The Abiding Companion: A Friendly Guide for Your Journey Through the New Testament, Copyright © 2010 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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