February 28, 2002
The Taming of the Tongue
Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.
When we put bits into the mouth of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants them to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. James 3:1-6 (NIV)
A scoundrel plots evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire. Proverbs 16:27 (NIV)
A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends.
Proverbs 16:28 (NIV)
The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. Proverbs 18:21 (NIV)
In looking at the tongue, I found many passages. If those above are not enough, look all through the book of Proverbs. There is a passage about a quarrelsome wife (Proverbs 19: 13), lying lips (Proverbs 12:22), flattery (Psalm 5:9, 12:3), deceit (Psalm 52:2), God’s hate for a haughty tongue (Proverbs 6:17), and on and on. And what of the words of Jesus in Matthew 15 where he says it is what comes out a man that defiles him? Now, this is not at all an exhaustive list. I challenge you to look at God’s word and see what importance he puts upon the tongue.
Now, for believers, what we speak and how we speak it is of utmost importance. It is out of our mouths that we can be convicted or exonerated. It is out of our mouths the heart is seen. What about your tongue? I was once a very quarrelsome wife. Then, I begun to ask the Lord to make me more like Jesus. He had begun to get my tongue under control and the atmosphere of my home begun to change. Now, I forget this lesson sometimes, like today. I let my tongue get out of the Lord’s control and things do not go well. It takes two to make a quarrel. When one around you wants to quarrel, you can choose to be like Jesus and refuse to answer the charges.
We must take care to use our tongues for the glory of the Lord. We must choose the words we speak with great care. There is no truth to that childhood saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” In fact, words are much more damaging then sticks and stones. Broken bones mend. Hurtful words can resound in the ears of those they were directed at for years. Hurtful words can be the straw that breaks the camel’s back and sends one who is struggling back to where they came from. I have experienced this. As a new believer, I was struggling with learning to live a Godly life, for the life I had known was not godly at all. I was truly trying to give up the old ways and learn to live anew. However, the words of those around me drove me back to where I had come from. For a time, I returned to my old ways. For those who spoke those words, the Lord has a judgment. As for me, I have chosen to forgive those words. I choose to live above them.
I challenge each of you to measure your words. When you are angry, do not speak until the anger is under control. When you go to accuse, be sure you are not guilty of the same sin in some way or another and guard your tongue, so that you do not accuse falsely. When you speak, speak as if it were someone speaking to you and speak the way you would want to be spoken to. Let the Lord put a bit in your mouth. Let him be your rudder. Let him be Lord over your tongue, your mouth and what comes out of it.
Father, forgive me for the way I failed you, this day and spoke out in anger and caused hurt. Lord, guard my tongue for truly it is evil. Lord, let the fire my tongue spread be the fire of the Holy Spirit. Father, in Jesus name, bridle my tongue and keep it under tight reign at all times. Lord, help me in the words that I speak, the tone that I use, and the way in which I speak them. Father, help me to live in the knowledge that the words that come out of my mouth determine the mindset and the level of peace in my home. Lord, reveal to each one here just how important it is that we learn to guard our tongues, in Jesus name, amen!
All rights reserved: Amy Seelbach
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