In my Bible, the title added by translators over chapter 3 is "Taming the Tongue." Here James offers a few analogies to help us understand the power of our speech.
A bit in a horse's mouth is small but it can be used to direct the body of the entire horse (vs 3). So also massive ships are steered by tiny rudders (vs 4). Indeed an entire forest can be set on fire by lighting a match (vs 5). The point is clear: The tongue may be small, but it possesses great power to control a person.
Well this presents a problem because, with the same tongue, we can bless God, and curse the people around us (vs 9). But James says this shouldn't be so (vs 10). A tongue that both blesses and curses, belongs to a person who is not genuinely blessing God. So what's the key to taming one's tongue then? James tells us at the end of the passage.
According to James there are two kinds of wisdom—earthly wisdom, and wisdom from above. Earthly wisdom is marked by bitter jealousy and selfish ambition (vs 14). It's not hard to imagine how those qualities would affect someone's speech. But wisdom from above is marked by peace and gentleness, mercy and sincerity (vs 17). Now imagine the speech of a person possessing those qualities.
Taming the tongue is a very difficult thing to do. Your only chance to control it is to be given the wisdom that comes from above. So, just like we were told in chapter one, ask God to give you that wisdom!
No comments:
Post a Comment