“Watch Your Words”

“Watch Your Words”

James 3.3-12

3When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5Likewise 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. 6The 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. 7All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

The Bible has a great deal to say about guarding our words. Watching what we say is one of the most difficult and yet crucial aspects of our walk with Christ. This is something the Church does not teach enough, and it is blatantly obvious. This is harsh, I realize, but necessary. Every day I encounter dozens of Christians who do not keep a tight reign on their tongue. Curse words, gossip, hurtful words against a brother, complaining, bitterness, and all sorts of evil spew out of the mouths of God's children. It is completely unacceptable and in violation of the sort of gentleness and love to which Christ has called us. It is a subject we must address seriously and directly.

This is not a new phenomena. James addresses it in James 3, and this was over 2000 years ago. He begins by stating that there are all sorts of thing man has learned to tame—various animals and ships. They are all controlled by a “very small rudder[s]” or “bits.” The tongue, also, is small just like these things, and it controls the entire body. Unfortunately, the tongue “is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” This means that one wrong move with the tongue can set to fire an entire forest--“consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.”

We all have seen what devastation has been caused by our careless words, and yet we continue to engage in carelessness. Why? The reason is that we do not obey the old adage: “think before you speak.” I have been guilty plenty of times of saying something I knew would get me into trouble because I did not allow the Holy Spirit to test my words. Speaking without thinking is like drinking muddy water without a filter—our words will come out raw, unsanitary, and bitter.

The solution, then, is to get the correct filter. The most obvious filter is the Holy Spirit. Every time we must comment on something, we need to say it first in our heads. Would Christ Himself say it? Is it going to build others up or tear others down? God's word is very clear that we must “not let any unwholesome talk come out of [our] mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4.29). Will our words instruct, create, improve, and most importantly glorify God? Or are they designed to merely demonstrate to others the pain or rage we are experiencing internally? Think about it.

I do not know where your tongue stands today. If you have no issue with this, then pray that the Lord will help you to continue speaking wholesome and truthful words. For most of us, though, we need to work on keeping our tongues pure. We need to use the filter of the Holy Spirit. If you need that filter, come and ask God, who, as James says, “gives to all liberally and without reproach” (James 1.5b). Control your tongue so that it may only speak words that bring glory to God! Let us “[b]e very careful, then, how [we] live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5.15-16). Amen.

With love in Christ,


Austin Aldrich