Controlling the Tongue

 

Welcome back to the next lesson in James with Brad  

James 3:1-12

The beginning of James 3, he talks about understanding the tongue.  The tongue means talking and the words that come out of your mouth.  

The first verse warns that “not many of you should become teachers in the church for we who teach will be judged more strictly.”  Teachers and leaders in the church have a big role in other people’s faith journeys.  They are the ones who lead them to faith and fill them.  The words they speak lead people to their faith in and outside of church.  If they control their tongue in church and not outside of the church, that is hypocritical.  Church teachers and leaders are also held to a higher standard with God and will be judged more strictly.  We all make mistakes because we are sinful.  “To control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.”  

The tongue is a small thing but like a tiny spark, it has the power to set a great forest on fire.  Words can be used for good or they can hurt other people.  Like a forest fire, words can start and sometimes not be stopped.  Once we say hurtful words we can’t take them back.  Scars remain from what we say.  And sometimes it spreads like a fire.  We have to be careful with what we say.  We will never be perfect with our words but you can ask yourself three questions before you speak:

• Is what I want to say true?

• Is it necessary?

• Is it kind?

We can also ask God to help us with our words.  God works to change us from the inside out.  Your speech reflects your true identity.  What do your words say about you?  

Words are hard.  Controlling your tongue is hard.  It’s hard because when you get angry, words just come out without thinking about what you are saying.  But we need to go back and remember James 1:19-20 which says, “You must be all quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.  Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.”

And if you get mad and say things out of anger you should apologize and ask for forgiveness.