Taming the Tongue

We are characterized by our speech. What we think is often what we say. The way we use our tongue can be for good, or for evil.

James 3:3-12 (The Message)

^3-5A bit in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds. A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it!

^5-6It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell.

^7-10This is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can't tame a tongue—it's never been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth!

^10-12My friends, this can't go on. A spring doesn't gush fresh water one day and brackish the next, does it? Apple trees don't bear strawberries, do they? Raspberry bushes don't bear apples, do they? You're not going to dip into a polluted mud hole and get a cup of clear, cool water, are you?

More often than not, we all say things before we think. Words just come flying out of our mouth and then we sit in bed at night and think, "did I really say that to them?"
According to James, our tongue is a wildfire and can be used for good or evil. I love the part where is says, "a careless or wrongly placed word" can start a forest fire. Sometimes I think we just fly through life, not evaluating our actions and words. We don't take heed of what God is trying to teach us through our mistakes. We especially don't control our tongue the way we should. We can turn a peaceful situation into chaos with one misused word. In the last two verses of that piece of scripture it says "a spring doesn't gush fresh water one day and brackish the nest, does it?"

As believers who have been made righteous through Jesus Christ, we have to think about what we say. Is it edifying? Are our words encouraging and uplifting?
Crass, unthoughtful, rash words cannot come out of the same mouth that claims a relationship with the Lord. Have you ever thought about how you portray yourself to unbelievers?
If you are at walmart with your mom and roll your eyes when she asks you to do something, what do people around you observe? You are fulfilling the thinking of most people who think of teenagers as rebellious, rude, and uncaring; just living life for themselves.

I urge you girls to consider what you say to people around you. Make an effort to say things that you wouldn't be ashamed of saying if God Himself was standing right there. (and He is!)
Sometimes God uses instances in our life to make us stop and think. He did something like that to me a couple weeks and ago, and I had to tell myself that life isn't about me. God doesn't want me to think about what I want people to say or do to me. If you want someone to say something kind and uplifting to you, how about you say something encouraging to someone else who is probably feeling the same way as you! If you will just stop, and reconsider your words, you will probably make a difference for the better in many peoples lives.

*Stop and think about what you are saying
*Make an effort to change the way you speak
*Encourage others around you! You will find people much more fun to talk to when you just give them a little bit of edification. :)

Ephesians 4:29 (New International Version)
²⁹Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Your Sister in Christ,
Jessica