To tame the tongue

by Jamie Hunter

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 restless evil, full of deadly poison.

With the tongue we raise 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. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig-tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

James 3vv6-12

"I mean," he went on, "how could she be so cruel? Mark was very upset after he heard off John what Sally had been doing, but when Mark confronted her, she denied everything."
After a moments thought, I replied "is Mark so sure that the rumours are correct? After all, you know how the can get out of hand. From what I know of Sally, she would never do such a thing!"
"Come to think of it your right. I've known Sally for years, and she would never do such a thing. This stupid rumour has probably cost them their engagement......"

How many times have you passed on a rumour? Oh, it can be something silly, something to talk about. But did you ever think at the time how much damage it could have caused? Suppose for instance a rumour was spread about you? What would it do to you? I know the feeling. It changes your whole attitude, for a while at least, then your back to normal. Spreading the latest gossip about Mark, Sally or whoever. That is until someone who is a "friend" comes up to you and asks "what is this I heard about you? And I always thought you weren't like that!" You try telling them that it's a false rumour, and they don't believe you.

If you do spread some malicious rumour about somebody, what if you never ever have a chance to say sorry? What if they're dead before you have chance to undo the damage you have done? You could regret that statement for the rest of your life!

However, before I become condemning, let me bring the good news. Jesus can tame the tongue, and He can forgive you for the things you have said without thought. In fact, He can also forgive you for the intended comments.

The tongue is like a sword, it can scar for life, but Jesus can heal the scars. He can help you to forgive whoever wounded you. Pray for them, that God may tame their tongues, so thatthey may never hurt anybody else.

All articles are (c) their respective authors, and appeared in, or were submitted for the Christian Friendship magazine published in Immingham, England, 1989-1990.
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