Your tongue
James the half brother of Jesus writes,
“Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.
We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.
When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal.
Or 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.
Likewise 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.
The 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.
All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.
Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. James 3:1-10.
Here James gives the believer in Jesus words of advice and warning.
“Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.”
To be a teacher of the gospel you need to be careful. People look up to teachers of the gospel. That’s why it is important that a teacher make certain what they are teaching is true.
Others see Jesus through the lense of a believers life. It is doubly so if they know the person is a teacher of the gospel.
Over the centuries many people have been led astray by false teachers. The apostle Paul even warns,
“For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” 2Timothy 4:3,4
That is why we as individual believers in Christ Jesus need to read the Bible for ourselves and get to know what it says.
The other point James makes here is, watch what you say. Guard your tongue.
James noting “Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts.”
An untamed tongue can cause a lot of grief. What people say can quite literally change their lives. James notes,
“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.
Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.”
Our tongue can be our worst nightmare. If we do not tame it, it can destroy others and ourselves. We must be cautious about what we say. It is better to say nothing than to say something you might regret.
The writer of Proverbs tells us,
James the half brother of Jesus writes,
“Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.
We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.
When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal.
Or 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.
Likewise 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.
The 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.
All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.
Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. James 3:1-10.
Here James gives the believer in Jesus words of advice and warning.
“Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.”
To be a teacher of the gospel you need to be careful. People look up to teachers of the gospel. That’s why it is important that a teacher make certain what they are teaching is true.
Others see Jesus through the lense of a believers life. It is doubly so if they know the person is a teacher of the gospel.
Over the centuries many people have been led astray by false teachers. The apostle Paul even warns,
“For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” 2Timothy 4:3,4
That is why we as individual believers in Christ Jesus need to read the Bible for ourselves and get to know what it says.
The other point James makes here is, watch what you say. Guard your tongue.
James noting “Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts.”
An untamed tongue can cause a lot of grief. What people say can quite literally change their lives. James notes,
“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.
Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.”
Our tongue can be our worst nightmare. If we do not tame it, it can destroy others and ourselves. We must be cautious about what we say. It is better to say nothing than to say something you might regret.
The writer of Proverbs tells us,
“Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent,
and discerning if he holds his tongue.”
Proverbs 17:28.
Please think about it.