ICS Daily Devotions
The Untamed Tongue
James 3: 2,8-10 (NKJV) For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body….. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.
The key to bridling our tongue and getting a grip on our lip is by living the Christian life from the inside out. It is the personification of the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus that helps us to stand up to the temptation and the lure of the flesh to lash out at others. We will remain carnal Christians succumbing to the flesh and will continue to reap what we have sown to the flesh if we allow it to dominate our reactions even when we have grown spiritually.
Colossians 4:5-6(NKJV) Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
What really sets us apart as believers is our conduct and our words as the world gets darker by the day. Every day is closer to the day of Jesus’ return like a thief in the night. The church which is the body of Christ shows forth Christ’s love to the world in a darkened world. The marketplace is vicious and cruel and many of us have been victims of company politics. We have witnessed two- faced people , colleagues backstabbing one another to climb up the corporate ladder and bosses belittling their subordinates. If we are not careful and do not learn to bridle our tongues, then we too will become one of those people who forget that our words can destroy a person. Therefore, we need to tame our tongues and season our words with salt especially when the world is watching the lives of the believers. We are witnesses for Him as the salt and light of this world. Jesus said that people will know that we are His disciples if we are to love one another, therefore we must set ourselves apart from the world through our speech and conduct. We are to walk in love which is the hallmark of Christ’s followers. God would be unjust if He demanded that we do something that we are unable to. We are not expected to do all this with our own strength. We have been empowered to walk in the Spirit. The same Holy Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in us. He gives strength to our inner man to overcome the lure and dictation of the flesh.
James mentioned in James 3:4-5 that the tongue is like a small rudder which can set the course of a large ship or like a small fire which can set a forest on fire. Therefore, let us watch what we say, how we say things, to whom we say things to, when we say certain things and learn to tame our tongues with the help of the Holy Spirit in us.
Sermon Series: Ouch! It Hurts!
