Taming the Tongue
3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.
How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.
Wisdom from Above
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. (ESV)
James 3:8 “…but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”
This cuts straight to the heart. You could say I feel convicted…
Often by my words I am entangled, and still, even when I try to be self controlled, even at times saying nothing, I end up blurting out something I don’t actually mean or which is completely offensive and arrogant. Who can tame the tongue, a “restless evil, full of deadly poison?!” Both with it I bless and I curse…!
The verse above is clear: “no human being can tame the tongue”. Yet there is a way: I can tame my speech because with God, even the impossible is possible (Matt. 19:26).
Therefore, to avoid passiveness, I need to train myself, with the energy and counsel God provides, and defeat this “restless evil” in my life. Speech and having the self control to tame this “fire, a world of unrighteousness” seems so difficult, and even if it is I hope, by God’s will, that I will bring under control my speech as I further in Sanctification.
Help me O’ Lord.
All by God’s grace!
San Clemente Small Groups Tonight Yeaa!
A way I am first going to tame my tongue, is by: not subjecting myself to shows, movies, or music that even contains a ‘hint’ of smutty or foul language. I hate the stuff…
Yeaa okay I’m done now
Hmmmm… Great focus for every day and every person Spencer – don’t think you are alone! Keep turning to Him for strength to do tame use the tongue for His glory!
Spencer, you are truly a Godly man! Praise Him for all the works He has done in your life!
Hey Spence! I will see you down in the SC tonight! Looking forward to it my friend!
ELLO… I read
I like verse 1,”Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.”
I like this verse because it talks about practicing what you preach. If you are telling everyone to obey their teachers and in the next class you completely disrespect them aren’t you contradicting yourself and making yourself look like a joke? If I want to be able to teach others what is right then I first have to do what is right so I can’t be considered a hypocrite.
CYA
Good thing to focus on Tanner! I’ll pray for you on this today!
James 3:8-10 …but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.
We have the gift of speech which, under the control of our sinful self, causes great damage. But God wants us to yield to His Spirit and use the tongue for His glory today! So, fill up with thword this AM and pray for an open door to share the Gospel at school, in yuor home or even on a plane – wherever He puts you. Just know that being ready means using the gifts and talents He gives for His purpose while we’re still here! Lord, please come soon!
mm use the tongue for His glory…never gave it that perspective! Great comment! Using every part for His glory…Another thought!
9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.
Here’s that duality/double-mindedness we keep being made conscious of…a recurrent theme for such as us who are easily tempted waywardly. This morning I am praying for God to penetrate our hearts deeply and purge us of any such duality, that we might be consistently witnessing for Him in purity.
17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
THINK BEFORE I SPEAK! Often, I KNOW I shouldn’t speak. But I race ahead of my thoughts and blurt ignorant or inappropriate thoughts ANYhow. This morning, I am also praying for the Holy Spirit to yank on my leash and bridle me in. May He train me so that I am available and credible for ANYthing He calls me to.
I also need to work on that through Him! Sometimes I just say what’s in my mind without thinking. I am praying for discipline and for the Holy Spirit to train me in righteousness!
4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.
I am also affected by this verse, as it comes right in the midst of Pastor Mike’s Moving Forward series, utilizing such a mental visual of us being at sea, onboard a sailboat. Lord, mold me into a pleasing sailor who follows Your orders and yields to You, no matter the weather conditions!
I always thought about using the arm for His glory because if it’s used for sin, God says you should cut it off…I never thought about it for the tongue! Thank you Mr. Hosford for enlightening me on that. That’s why it’s good to read other people’s comments.
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.
IIII am currently going through Ecc. right now in my owwwn time and at first, I was confused. Then Mr. Cox and mom totally cleared it up! Solomon writes about these things he has tried to go after in order to have happiness in life..human wisdom was the first one! For some reason, I thought that that wisdom was the same that God had given him…totally wrong! Sure, it is good to have human wisdom, but it is oh so much more better to have Spiritual wisdom! The only way I can gain spiritual wisdom is by listening to what God wants me to do, and by reading His Word. I gotta make sure I am consistant in the reading of the Bible. MARANATHA!
4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. it is important that we work on not talking to rashly because the tongue is a powerful weapon that can hurt some one. i need to work on being kinder with my words and speaking slowly.
17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
I’m not sure about you guys, but I would love to have more of this kind of wisdom! The wisdom that comes from God is all of these things! If we at True North could have this kind of wisdom with each other and in other areas in our lives, think of the friendship and love we would have! The wisdom from this world only puffs up our pride, but the wisdom from God is useful for living a holy life and loving our brothers and sisters in Christ! Lord, I pray that You would give me so much more of this wisdom! Give me this wisdom in the way that I interact with people, so that I could help encourage them and build them up. Give me wisdom as I go through trials, so that I may be patient and not fall into sin. Give me wisdom as I go to school, so that I may live a life that is above reproach and show Your love to other people. And thank you God, for sharing with us Your wisdom!
8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
This verse is really convicting! There were times when I would think without speaking and something would come out that I didn’t want to! As this verse says, the tongue is evil and full of deadly poison. Instead of tearing others down or saying unnecessary things, we should use our tongues to encourage one another and build each other up! No human being can tame he tongue? Well I think that with Godly council and prayer, it can be possible! As Spencer said, with the Lord, the impossible is possible! I pray that I will guard my mouth and make sure that what I say will only be encouraging, as Ephesians 4:29 says, “Do 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.” What I say should benefit others and be helpful to them! If what I say would not be encouraging, then I should either not say it at all, or change my speech into motivation for others!
Good Morning!!!
verse 17
” But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.”
This is what I love about our Lord. He gives us these good things like purity, peace, gentleness, mercy, sincerity. God gives us all these good things and most of the time we take them for granted when others show these gifts to us. What do we give back anyways? Not nearly as much as our God deserves that’s for sure. He deserves our hearts, He deserves our lives as little as we may be, giving up our life in the name of God is probably the most we could give back to Him. So when we die, we should give our lives fully to Him.
10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.
Wow, James 3 was very convicting to read this morning. Sometimes I get so focused on doing good for the Lord that I fail to keep a careful watch over the things that come out of my mouth. This chapter makes it clear that God cares about the way we use our tongue. I am either using it for His glory, to share the gospel, speak truth, encourage, and teach or I am using it to tear others down. It has been my goal for the past month to be more watchful over the words that come out of my mouth. I have tried to pray and clearly think through my words, especially in heated situations. I have noticed a difference and my relationships have been strengthened because of it. I have to rely fully on the help of the Holy Spirit to tame my tongue. If I rely on my own power I fail every time and critical, hurtful, prideful or slanderous words can creep out of my mouth. As a Christian it doesn’t make sense that my speech would be characterized by those sinful things, so I have to work hard at controlling my tongue. When my tongue is tamed I have street cred and bring glory to God!
9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.
So far we have seen and heard about the tongue being evil and staining our bodies, and here it shows another hypocritical aspect of it. How can we say we are fully devoted to God and love one another, continually keeping his commands when we curse those around us? Thats a bad thing to be doing! Going from praising the Lord to throwing stumbling blocks in front of others when we join in on the worlds joking and bad language.
This is one thing we should always be careful about. Even though we dont all curse and say horrible things, even some of the jokes that we laugh about with friends or say can be things that aren’t from the Lord. Everything about us should be 100% for God, and we need to make sure that our tongue wont compromise our faith or let others look at us and say that Christians are just like every other person!
10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.
I thought this was interesting. It really made me think how important our words are and how effective they can be. What we say really can or cannot show how we rep Christ. We should not be saying bad things out of the same mouth we say good things out of. Something that saddens me most is when I hear people say the Lords name in vein. I can’t even tell you how mad that makes me, so sad. It’s horrible to think our own creator of the universe is sometimes used as a curse word. That needs to change. We should be glorifying God with everything we do and say. Maranatha!!!
6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.
Our tongue praises God and curses the devil. That is not right. We sometimes do one thing, sometimes another. We’re hypocrites! How can we possibly say that we are fully devoted to the Lord our God and then turn around and curse our neighbor? How is that showing God’s love?? Our mouth, our tongue, our language is a stumbling block to others and we cannot allow that to happen because it means we are mis-representing God. 1 Corinthians 8:9 says this, “be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.” God specifically tells us to make sure that we do not become a stumbling block towards the weak, and I think we should start there. Start by conforming to the laws of God and following them. Whether it be not cursing, not watching movies with cursing in them, or maybe just not talking about certain subjects, we should make sure that we cut the sin out of our lives.
Matthew 5: 28-30 says 28 “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.” I’m starting here. I am not going to cause my neighbor to stumble ever again. At least, that’s the plan.
4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.
Our tongues can get us into alot of trouble. Everything from lying to gossip to swearing comes straight from the tongue. But this section says that a man who fan controls his tongue is able to controls his whole body. So our selfcontrol comes from having aastery over our tongue. The Bible says to be selfcontroled and alert because our enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. So if we can control our tongues, we can keep the temptations of the Debil at bay, living our lives to please God.
Excited for small groups tonight!!!
18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace
I was totally reminded of how important it is to be a peace maker. For me specifically, I need to make sure that I always strive towards peace with my little brother. As most younger siblings are, he can get under my skin and I need to make sure that I am patient with him and I will gain a harvest of righteousness!
8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.
The mouth is an insane thing that gets me in a lot of trouble sometimes. I may praise God with it, but I also talk bad about people or say mean things. I dont remember where it came from, but somewhere it says in the Bible “out of the overflow of the mouth, the heart speaks.” Through what I say people can see what is really on my heart, and if by cursing others I show that I have an extremely sinful heart, then I look like a hypocrite. That is why James says I need to tame my tongue and make sure I’m not saying anything that would offend God or hurt others.
10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.
11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water?
12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.
I knew that taming the tongue is something important for a Christian to be doing. Verses 10-12 really explain why I need to have a tamed tongue. If I know why, it will help me better understand it, and will help me actually do it! I loved the imagery here! How can a spring that produces fresh water produce salt water? It just doesn’t! According to God, His people cannot be cursing others and just saying bad things all together about people, because that does not show humbleness! As a follower of Christ, I need to be like Christ, and Christ was definetly humble, and said things that were good in God’s sight! So I need to do that too!
“For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.”
As Christians, we should be regularly monitoring the words that come from our mouth; including cussing, slandering, and insulting.
Recently I’ve been thinking about how the extent that we should be applying the ‘cussing’ aspect to our lives.
I’ve known for awhile that I shouldn’t be using the blatantly hurtful/ explicit words, but what about the less obvious ones? What about saying ‘crap’, or ‘screwed’, or substituting ‘gosh’ for ‘god’, and ‘geeze’ for ‘jesus’.
I’ve been thinking about it, and I’ve come to the conclusion that I should not use these either. How much better is it to say ‘crap’ rather than ‘shit’?
Not so much; they both are portraying the same idea. Essentially its like we’re only settling for slightly better than the world, which is not right–we’re called to be totally separate from this world, and by using words that are only slightly better than the world, we are not fulfilling this.
10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.
This is a good verse, because profanity is something that never should be present, and it is a definite sin. Here, God clearly commands against it.
10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.
These verses made me think of the hyppocrisy that is shown when christians say bad things about others. We should not gossip, but instead say good things about each other.
8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
This chapter is SO convicting! Speech is one of those things that is very hard to control but the constant attempt at taming the tongue is necessary… Verse 8 says that no human being can tame the evil tongue, and thats why I need the Lord’s strength!! Sometimes it can be so easy to slip up and say something you dont mean or that hurts others but its so important not to misrepresent God with our words. Gossip, cussing, slander, lying, and i’m sure many more sins come directly from the mouth, proving that it is “full of poison.” I ask God today to give me stregth to be wise and think before I speak, not just refraining from sinning with my tongue but bringing Him glory in all that I say.
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.
I need to show myself to be more humble of a person. Instead of taking credit for anything whether it be school or sports, I should praise God and thank Him for enabling me to recieve any credit. God has blessed me with everything and i have done nothing on my own account. All blessings I recieve are from God and He should be given the glory for that.
10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.
This is an amazing chapter, because when I say nice things to compliment my friends or make my mom’s day better, that is the same mouth that is arguing with my sister about trivial, unnecessary things! I like the next verse, that says a salt water spring cannot produce fresh water, and vice versa, because I do not need to argue with my sister about things that don’t even matter through the same mouth that praises the Lord! If I could only say mean things, I would not want to praise God with the same lips that lie or slander against my friends. That is a disturbing thought! I really hope I can go to small groups tonight (my homework has to be done)!
4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.
We may have a huge and amazing God telling us how to live our lives but the only thing that controls our lives is ourselves. We must do what God says for us to do and trustt in him. Its one thing to listen to him and its an entirely other thing to act upon what he says..
3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.
This verse is talking straight to me as a pastor. I need to make sure that I am teaching God’s Word clearly and accurately. I need to be working hard to study what the Bible says every week as a workman who does not need to be ashamed.
Please pray for me as I prepare to preach each week at True North. This weekend I will be preaching on 1 Peter 3:13-17 on How To Be Persecuted!
5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.
Our words can get us into a lot of trouble. I also think that what you say reflects who you are as a person. The words that come out of your mouth can define your heart and true feelings. My mom always tells me this: Watch your thoughts for they become words watch your words for they become actions, watch your actions for they become habits watch your habits for they become character, watch your character for it becomes your destiny…
6 “And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.”
What a strong and convicting verse. Words are so easy to say, but can cause so much damage. Taming my tounge is very important to do, it can change my entire life style. I need to work on controlling what I say, as a joke or not, and start encouraging.
!!!MARANATHA!!!
10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.
This verse is really true, because God gave us a mouth to speak blessings not curses and to me this verse personally scares me because this is something I really have to work on.
I read…
Verse 12… “Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.”
In this chapter, James, the brother of Jesus, explains to us that if we going to call ourselves Christians we cannot be two-faced. In this case he is describing the issue of our sinful mouths. He uses in the analogies to explain how different the mouth of a Christian vs. non-Christian should be like. If we are proclaiming to be Christians we need to make sure our mouth is in life with our faith. A way I can improve on this is that I can not complain when asked to do work at home.
17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
Verse 17 describes how God is and how we should strive to be. Purity is a major issue in the modern day world. We should guard our mouths and not gossip or curse, and treat our bodies with respect by not smoking and not having premarital sex. God created us in his own image and therefore we should honor that by trying to act like Christ. I like how it says “open to reason” because that means not always saying “yes” or “no” without knowing why. Wisdom implies having knowledge from the Bible, subjects learned in school, and life experiences. “Impartial” makes me think of perspective. I think that it’s important to always understand (not necessarily agree, but understand) both sides of an argument in order to see each perspective, and therefore be open to being impartial. However, I should practice being merciful, sincere, and patient. Seeing both sides to an argument means considering it in my mind before speaking, and therefore acting peaceably before letting my mouth act.
The last verse reminds me of what I read yesterday: that if you do not show mercy to others, you cannot expect to receive it from God. The same goes with peace. Making peace with enemies is important because God wants us to be loving to all, not cranky or beligerent.
Mhmmm! It’s so encouraging to see you on SOTD daily!
10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.
This is such an important verse~ Act like a christian if you call yourself one! We can’t go around praising the Lords name around our christian friends and fall into the world, cursing out of the same mouth we spoke the Lords name in! Its hypocritical! I know that I kneed to work on acting like a christian through my actions and words! I pray that God will guide me through each and everyday!
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.
i really like this verse
=)
5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things…6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.
There has been a moment in everyones life that you have said something that you totally regret later. The tounge is an evil thing, and so i really just need to memorize this section to remember to try and keep my tounge under control.
16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice
3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well.
The mouth is a gateway drug…..When we started talking sin…it almost always leads to physical sin….If we start saying suggestive jokes…it is much easier to do suggestive things…so let us tame our mouths for the glory of God
Exactly! Great comment!
6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.
Wow, this chapter really makes me think about how powerful words are. It annoys me when people say “sticks and stones can break your bones, but words can never hurt you.” yeah, yeah, i get it, but words can spill evil and definitely cause harm. I need to make sure all my words are glorifying to God and not tearing anyone down. I need to always be encouraging and uplifting toward others in what I say. Just like Philippians 2:14 says, I need to do everything without complaining or arguing. One small thing that comes out of the mouth can destroy a person’s entire reputation or create a huge problem. This verse, talking about unrighteousness coming out of our mouths, reminds me of how Jesus said we are not made unrighteous by what we put in our mouths, but by what comes out of them. I need to be clean on the inside so all my words will be clean. I need to guard my tongue and encourage others around me to do the same:)
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.
I like this verse because it is essentially saying that you can prove your ability in an area (in this case, wisdom and understanding) by merely using your talents humbly. THis attitude relates to all abilities and strengths that God has blessed us with. The natural tendency of those in the world is to boast about their abilities, and as Christians we still have that sinful desire that we need to fight against. Instead of being arrogant, we need to remember that it is Christ who gives us everything, and that He has given it to us for a specific reason. I need to seek to use the things I have been blessed with as a way to bring as much glory to God as I can, making sure my actions and lifestyle are above reproach and taking advantage of every opportunity to proclaim the truth of His Gospel.
17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
we as Christains should think about such things all the time. i pray that when i am evangelizing i would remember this verse Lord and i would be impartial, gentle, open to reason but still steadfast God. i pray Lord that when i evangelize it would be God breathed, i trust that you will give me the words to say Lord and that i will remember everything i have learned. i pray i would always be sincere in what i do and that everything i do would be out of love. i pray that you would help me be a peace-maker and that nothing unwholesome would be birthed by me. amen
2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.
This verse stood out to me because it simply states, that we are in fact sinners therefore, no one is perfect, nor will ever be. The only person that was perfect, was Jesus. God put Jesus on earth to be an example to all of us. Some may ask why when we were made sinners? The reason is that if our role model was a sinner then why would we even try to be better, so God put Jesus on this earth to show how to live the perfect life. And even though we will never be perfect, it still does`nt mean we cant strive to be more like God. I think that God has truly blessed each and every one of us with having Jesus come to earth; live the perfect life, and die for us. Which is another great thing to praise God about!!!
4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things
This is a great and very, very important verse. Here we see that the tongue is a very small part of the body, but it is full of great evil. It says that the tongue is important because it can change the whole direction of our lives. I need to control what I say.
8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison
Our tongue is just like our hearts, it can not be contained/maintained. The mere change in tone of our voice can be misjudged by all people. Our tongue is so incredibly powerfull. What am I using it for? I have the power to tell the world about God with my tongue, but instead I sin with it daily. So many of the sins that I commit are because of the things I say. I am using my tongue more toward the sinfull use, then to the Godly use of it. To tame our tongue is like striving for holiness. It cant happen, but we have to try with our whole entire hearts to. I need to be using my tongue for the glory of God, not to sin. If I think that my tongue is deadly and can full of poison, I am going to want to be carefull with it, and only use it for the glory of God.
9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.
as Christians, we cant be know for being hypocritical and praising God while at the same time cursing other people. That is straight up hypocrisy! we can’t expect to have street cred if we are talking out of both sides of our mouths. I really need to focus on making sure that the only things that come out of my mouth glorify God, and that they are uplifting and encouraging to the people around me.
Ahhhhh! My whole post was deleted!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, I posted on verse 8 and basically said that I need to not let my tongue slip up as much as I do now. I need to tame it as much as I possibly can NOW and not later because later is too late.
5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.
I really enjoyed this verse because our tongues are such powerful things. We can praise God with it and educate those who are uneducated. God has given us things so we can direct people to Gods word and if that means preaching to one another then it will only glorify God in every way!
10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.
This verse can be convicting!!! I definitely dont have a problem with cussing or anything like that, but “cursing” can be taken in different ways. If I am talking bad about people behind their backs, yet I am claiming to be a Christian, what does this say about my street cred? If I am proclaiming the name of Jesus Christ on my campus, I need to also make sure that I am staying away from hurtful words, gossip, and slander.
10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.—I loved this part of the chapter today! I know I havent that about this recently but its so convicting! As a Christian, my words need to match my actions and I know sometimes that is not how it is! It is sad that I can say so many mean things about people with the same tongue that I also worship the LORD with on a daily bases. This should not be! I need to control my tongue and always have that on my mind that everything that should be coming out of my tongue should be glorifying to God’s name!! I really want people to see an example of a disciple of Christ through me and that is not what is going to happen if I am doing both things with my tongue. It is also that I am telling the truth of what Christ has done for us with my mouth and how live as a result of that. I really need to be praying about this because I know that I am not controlling my tongue all the time.
MARANATHA!!!
6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.
Wow this is pretty scary. I need to think of my tongue as that way. I could use my words to talk about righteousness and God but there are so many things that are looked on as “not as bad” sins like complaining, gossiping, questioning, arguing etc. Even if I don’t participate in it but listen and accept it as “normal”, it is still against God. I need to think twice about what I say to see if it will build people up, encourage them, or glorify God instead of on foolish things of the world. This verse gives really severe consequences of not taming the tongue. To do this I must discipline myself. I am going to meditate on Scripture everyday and think of ways that I can use my words for Him!
8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.
I love the book of James! These verses are so right on. Our tongues are terrible. We gossip and talk bad about some people and then moments later we say to others, “Hey what’s up? I love youuuuu!” And with that same tongue we also pray to God. This is inconsistent and as Christians we should recognize the hypocrisy of this because James is calling us out and it’s just embarrassing some of the things we say..
7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
When you are angry or something like that it is hard to not say something bad, especially if someone is saying something bad to you. It is important that we watch what we say because the tongue is truly the hardest thing to tame. I don’t usually think of my tongue as a restless evil but sometimes it seems this way whenever I have to watch what I say.
9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.
we really need to watch what comes out our mouths, because we praise God one moment, but the next we say horrible stuff to other people. even if its not profane language, but gossip or coarse joking. so we need to think about what we say because little things are a big deal to God
c u all later
7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
This passage really makes me reflect on the conversations I have each day. I want to use my mouth to glorify God…so I need to make sure I am taming my tongue. One important way to do that is to take time to think about everything I say before I say it. My prayer tonight is that I will continue to strive for holy speech and a tongue that glorifies the Lord.
Wow the last paragraph stood out to me because in small groups we were talking about the sermon and we can do stuff for people that we would want done for us. Not being selfish is sometimes hard when you want to do something for for yourself. Just going up to a person and asking how there day was can make someone smile or be happy. I am going to write a letter to someone as my take home from small groups. Hope people have fun at the senior search
8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.
This verse helped me to realize that rather then tearing people down with hurtful words, I should be building them up with helpful and kind words. I should focus on praising God with my tongue rather then letting it run wild and letting it say whatever I want it to say without thinking. I should definately control my tongue more and I believe this will help me not to gossip as much and help me keep a positive outlook on life. I am making it my goal to watch what I say and try to focus on that what I’m saying is pleasing and joyful rather then hurtful.
Its amazing to me how seriously Paul takes the mouth. Twelve verses full of strong wording and intense stuff about how much the tongue can cause damage.
9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.
Wow, major conviction here. On saturday nights and sunday mornings my lips repeat the words of songs week after week…and yet I go school and gossip about her or talk smack about him. What hypocracy! I need to make sure that I am in control of my mouth and the way I talk about people… and make sure I am loving to my brothers and sisters in True North. I need to be consistant and stay in control of my mouth and glorify God in everything I say.
6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness.
This passage really convicted me with the way in which I speak. One thing I have been praying for lately is that I would think about what I say before I say it. A lot of times, I speak out of compulsion and the words that come out are hurtful to others, take away my street cred, and altogether not glorifying to God. I am praying that slander and unnecessary words would never leave my lips and that I would be using my tongue as a way to glorify God and to preach the gospel only!
Keep godly words on your lips at all times! Legit comment.
WOW!!! What a slam in the face! I LOVE the book of JAMES! Sooo much wisdom. LOVE IT! :]
17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere
Solomon, the wisest man. But later fell and had many wives, which is very bad. But he had a lot of wisdom the Lord gave to Him. In a verse, I’m somewhat sure, correct me if I’m worng, but it talks about how when we read the Bible and pray to God for wisdom, and believe He will give it to us. Or something ssimilar to that. But anyways, the point i am making is that the Bible has sooo much wisdom and knowledge that even though it is old and has been here since the begining, it still has sooo much that applies to today. Like about the tongue and not cursing others or God, but tame it. And I talk a lot and need to shut up and listen to others. I need to listen and obey and read the bible. God is trying to say something and sometimes it feels like i am too caught up in what He has given me that I don’t want to listen. i too afraid that he is going to make me do something that is hard and I am going to be scared to do. But I need to rememebr that God is wisdom and from Him all things were made, so He knows the outcome and worse comes to worse i die and go to heaven. And that isn’t bad at all. I need to LISTEN! and stop be stuborn. Glory be to God for being patient and merciful to a sinner that I am. May His name be shouted from the rooftops and may His righteousness be known to all! :]
***Praise the LORD for HE IS GOOD!!!***
4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.
Great analogy used here, I mean your tongue can be used for good or evil but either way, that small thing guides how we are perceived. I’ve seen the tongue desroy many a man, but also build them up. The tongue is the over flow of the heart, so the heart is the captain, let’s just hope God provided a replacement for the old captain.
James 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.
Wow, If I were to think about this every time I was about to speak, my words would be chosen a lot more cautiously. My word choices and tone can have a negative effect on others. I struggle with being positive and uplifting to others, but God commands me to “exhort one another every day” (Heb. 3:13). Being an encouragement to others is a very important of the Christian walk. By encouraging others, I myself will be encouraged. This should be a necessity in my life, to encourage and uplift others. I don’t want to ever discourage anyone with my words or actions. The tongue needs to be tamed, and I need to pray for constant guidance from God to “set a guard over my mouth” (Ps. 141:3). In pursuing the doing of good, I can grow closer to God.
Great comment!!!!
17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
I want this kind of wisdom. The wisdom that comes from God, not the world. I think with this wisdom, how I act and my relationships with others would be completely transformed!!!! I would have awesome realtionships with God’s righteous people and would have compassion and love others and be teachable. Jesus Christ definitely had this wisdom and I want to follow that and keep praying for wisdom from God!!!! I want to be like that and grow in God’s wisdom and transform my interactions with other Christians and non-Christians!!!
4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.
This verse goes to show how powerful the tongue really is. It can destroy people in powerful ways….but that’s obviously bad. It can be powerfully used in the other way though! And thats AWESOME! That encourages me to keep godly things on my lips at all times.
i like the begining of this chapter when it talks about how the tongue is the steering device of our bodys and how the tongue shows the world an example of what we think or feel. To me, this tells me to watch what i say and the manner of which i say things. the chapter contiues with telling us how the tongue can make us hurt other people and stain our body with evil. This is a very good chapter for me. i pray that God gives me the strength to control my tongue and help me work closer to him
14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.
True wisdom and pride cannot coexist. Apparently this was a problem with the people who received this letter. They wanted to prove their wisdom by advancing themselves, and this led to conflict. This is a universal problem. When people begin to perceive themselves as wise, jealousy and selfishness are not far away. I need to be careful of this trap. True wisdom should be pure and focused towards others, not selfish!
8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
This is verse is so true on how bad the tongue is!! It is an evil part of the body that leads to so much sin and evil!! No man, no friend, not even a pastor can tame the tongue!! The key word in this verse is no “man” can tame the tongue!! Only God can!! If we trust in God to rid ourselves of the sin that is brought forth by this evil thing, than that is how we will win the battle of taming our tongue!! No way else!!!!
MARANATHA!!!!!!!!!!!!
I noticed the same thing in this passage. Good to see you reading God’s Word every day Mark! Keep it up!
10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.
Yikes! It does seem rather strange for a person to praise God one minute and the next minute say something completely ungodly! This is a super convicting verse and it reminded me that as a Christian we need to be lights always, especially through the way we talk! People are always listening and I want to say things that constantly reflect God and his love and his righteousness.
Ephesians 4:29 “Do 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.”
2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.
This verse really puts self control into perspective. Now that i think about it your speech is a big part of showing who you are. I’m going to focus on taming my tongue.
I LOVE JAMES SOOOO MUCHHH!!!!
16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.
i had so many experiences of the danger of the tongue today it was one of those awesome God things where you get to experience the trial and then God tells you what to do in such a situation! (i love those) anyway i liked this verse because i have been seeing a domino affect in my own life lately where being selfish and letting my guard down in one area of my life is beginning to slowly affect others. anyway i’ll be glad to nip it in the bud thats all night
:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.
When we are put in a place of leadership its a big deal…there’s a lot of responsibility. Being a leader means not only that you represent Christ to the world in a more prominent way than others, but it also means you have a direct effect on the faith of fellow Christians. Even as an upperclassman- a Junior or Senior, we have the rest of the highschoolers looking up to us! I need to make sure my actions are in line with what God wants from me so that I do not cause anyone else to stumble!
14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.
i love this verse, and how convicting it is!! there are SO many times when im upset or am angry, but then i act like everything is okay and im just this happy christian! thats so wrong! i will definitely be working on this!
10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.
THis is an awesome chapter! THe tongue is the most powerful thing i have so i must make the best of it. I must make good and righteous things come out of my mouth, not cursing or gossip or evil! This is so important because it contradicts itself if we speak of blessing and thanksgiving and then curse or have gossip come out. So i will make it my goal to not gossip and to think about everything before i speak!
18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
I love this! We talked about righteousness this weekend and that is definitely not something you hear everyday but i am longing to be righteous like Jesus! I must seek peace and make peace! If i do so, there will be a harvest of righteousness!
6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.
I know that not everything I say is pleasing to God. It is scary to think that one little muscle in my body can do so much damage. But my tongue is a world of unrighteousness. I am constantly having to bite my tongue to not say things that aren’t godly. I need to bite my tongue even more and make sure that I say only what is encouraging and helpful to others.
4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.
This is really powerful to me. Ships are huge and they have this tiny rudder that is controling the whole ship and when this relates that to our tongue that is really big. I need to watch what i say because even though it may not seem like a big thing to me, certain things may set someone else off or cause them to sin.
9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.
This chapter could not be more clear about the importance of taming our tongues, controlling what comes out of them. This makes me think – does EVERYTHING I say glorify God? Even the little things can make a huge difference. I need to make sure that I am not a fountain or a tree that is giving off both good and bad water/fruit. It is very convicting to ask questions of myself like, “is everything I say helpful for building others up?” Although it is clear that this chapter is talking about profane language, it is also important to realize that it is talking about other things we say – which can sometimes be even worse that profanity. A lot of this chapter describes how wicked the tongue can be… and we often can not even control it. Proverbs 12:18 gives a great example of the raw power of our tongue – “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” (NIV) The human tongue is compared to a SWORD! That is intense. It is capable of such wickedness and causing so much pain, but on the flip side, as this verse also describes, it can bring great healing, or in a more practical sense, encouragement. The key word there, however, is “the tongue of the WISE” Verses 13-18 (of James 3) talk all about the importance of us having wisdom – specifically (and most importantly) wisdom that comes from God. Verse 17 says, “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” Wisdom that comes from God when put into speech can clearly do amazing things. Thus, it is clear that the tongue can be used for both great evil and great good. I am praying that the Lord will really help me in controlling what I say, gaining wisdom, that I might use what I say purely for healing, encouragement, and for building the people around me up. My tongue is such a powerful weapon, capable of both good and evil. I need to use it for the glory of God – and ONLY that.
8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.
At first glance I would say that this verse is not convicting to me, as I don’t think that I have trouble controlling my words. But even if I do keep it under control most of the time (not all of the time), even if I do not frequently let evil, cutting, sinful words spew from my mouth, it says right here that “No human being can tame the tongue.” Wow. God seems to be very concerned with what we say. The tongue, He tells us here, is a “restless evil” that cannot be tamed by any of us. But does this mean we should not even try to resist or fight for what comes out of our mouth? I don’t think so, but we definitely will not be able to do it on our own. I think that by God’s power we can and most definitely should use our tongues for His glory! God, please let me control my tongue; let the words that come out of my mouth be glorifying to You!
8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.
In order to tame the tongue, I desperately need the Lord’s assistance! Sometimes my tongue contains praises to Him and out of the same tongue comes words destructive words. With the Lord’ assistance, may I be consistent with my words. Seeking to have street cred by the things that come out of my mouth!
Ii really love the begining of this chapter!! I think I like it so much because I have seen God work in my and help me overcome the taming of my mouth. I really see this as a problem though with people that claim to be Christians !! They claim to follow Christ then turn around and start cussing or gossiping!! This just makes me really upset because they are not taming theretounges and giving Christians a bad rap !! So let us be people that are taming our tounges and be watching how we talk and be telling others to control their tongue too !!!
Wow, this is such a convicting chapter! The part about the tongue is so serious, I know I have seen the power that words have from my own mouth an just must be so careful to think before I speak. Luke 6:45 says, “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” I want to make sure that the word of God is richly dwelling in my heart so that my words will build up and not tear down.
The part about wisdom was such an important reminder to me about how the wisdom from above is not about opinions, experiences or age, but about being a doer of God’s Word. My prayer for both of these areas is that I would trust God, taking him at his word by obeying him right away without delay. This will really save me a lot of grief in saying foolish things with my mouth and in deciding to do things based on any wisdom that isn’t from God’s Word.
5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things…
The tongue is powerful and this verse makes me think of Gal. 6:14. Paul says far be it for him to boast in anything but Christ and the cross. Our tongue leads to evil and ultimately pride. Instead, we should be centering our tongue on Jesus Christ.
6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness.
I want to pursue righteousness and not unrighteousness. Thinking of our tongue as a fire, my heart immediately yearns for the Lord to quench it, quench the fire it has created and prevent potential fires. I need the Lord’s help to control my tongue. Like we just talked about at small groups tonight, let us keep our tongue from evil and our lips from speaking deceit.
3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.
Ah this is what REALLY stuck out to me and was an AWESOME reminder!!! The fact that we are more accountable for our actions is crazy!! But it should be like this and I am actually very happy!! Just because we must have standards, especially if we are going to be the ones “teaching” others!! Great reminder!!
6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.
Our tongues are such powerful weapons! There’s a saying that says, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” It’s actually quite the opposite. Physical injuries will leave their marks. Physical dangers are definitely a threat; many things can be used as powerful and dangerous weapons. Yet words pierce through the skin to the heart. They will leave a lasting effect on people. Words said by others will stay in a person’s mind. And by nature, the tongue is evil. It is a wild beast that must be tamed.
I need to keep tight reins over my tongue. I need to use it to build others up as well as witnessing to others and sharing the gospel with non-Christians. However, I need to refrain from letting it slip into its natural habit. I can’t let it loose when I get angry or loosen my grip in certain circumstances. And to keep control of my tongue, I am going to need the help of the Spirit! I can’t do anything on my own! I need to be praying every day that the Spirit will instill in me a pure tongue, motivated to speak what is right by a pure heart. If I am focused on Christ, it will be much more difficult to fall into sin that if I am not even paying attention. I always need to be on guard!
16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
This is such a good verse! I want my intentions to be holy and not of selish of jealous conduct. I pray that the Lord will open my eyes to my sin everyday and that He will grant me the wisdom from Him and from His holy heavens!
In verse 6 your tongue is the worst harm that can hurt someone. To really hurt someone will hurt there body but words from the tongue could hurt you from the inside. We should not live that way.