Tell the Story
Taming the Tongue
3 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.
How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life,1 and set on fire by hell.2 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers,3 these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.
Wisdom from Above
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”
Sounds good, but it’s really not true. Words can hurt deeply, sometimes more than broken bones. What we speak says a lot about what’s in our hearts, and how we love people has everything to do with how we speak to them. That’s why God has a lot to say about the tongue, that slimy, slippery thing behind your teeth that helps you taste your food, spit out your gum, and form your words.
The tongue is a small muscle—not nearly as big as your arms or legs—but it can set the agenda for your whole body. The tongue is like a bit in a horse’s mouth or a rudder on a ship; it’s a little thing that controls a big object.
Have you ever seen a forest set on fire by a small spark? So much destruction from one little flame. The tongue is like that too. When our words are mean and cruel, it can feel like we’ve set our friends and family on fire!
Human beings have managed to tame all sorts of animals. We train dogs and cats to obey commands. We keep birds and fish and reptiles as pets. We can even make elephants and lions do tricks for us. And yet, it seems that no one can tame the tongue.
Thoughtless words shoot at people like arrows. Wicked words go down like poison. Be careful with your words, or someone is going to get hurt!
God gave us mouths for a reason: so we can speak the truth, praise God, and encourage our neighbors. But too often the same mouth is full of blessing and full of cursing. That isn’t right. When you turn on the faucet in the kitchen, you don’t expect fresh water one day and salt water the next. You want the same thing every time.
If you have an apple tree in your yard, wouldn’t you be surprised if one branch had apples, another had oranges, and another had bananas? In the same way, it’s shocking when the same mouth that sings sweet songs on Sunday then spews out sewage words the rest of the week.
If we want to be wise in the ways of the Lord, we will pay attention to the words that we speak. We can’t love from the heart if we don’t learn to tame the tongue.
