Day 7 - James 3:1-12

Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.

3 We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. 4 And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. 5 In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches.

But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. 6 And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.

7 People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. 9 Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. 10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! 11 Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? 12 Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.


Tori's Comments:

The tongue is SO powerful. I've seen my words break other people down and have had them break me as well. They've been used to cause fear, stir up hate, and have started wars. Words have divided people, churches, and nations.

You know what else words can do?

They can spread hope. And love. And joy and kindness and faith. And that's what we're called to do. To turn the tide.

Terrie's Comments:

Our mouths and the words we speak are so powerful.  I know that we are taught this as children... "if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all".  I feel like our culture oozes with sarcasm and cutting remarks... could it be that this is another way that the enemy is attacking our world... could it be that our own mouths are being used as a tool of Satan to steal, kill and destroy God's creation?  

The Bible talks so much about the power of our words to bring life, to provide healing, to encourage, to build each other up.  It also has some very clear warnings about how we speak to each other.  Who are we letting control our tongues?  Are our words being used to bring glory to our savior and our king or are they being used to assist Satan in bringing destruction of various kinds?  Something to think about.

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!