James 3:5-12

How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!  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, and set on fire by hell.  For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.  With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.  From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.  Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water?  Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

Medications come with warning labels about negative side effects they might cause.  The tongue possesses certain qualities that make taming it seem impossible.  As we read this passage, we can recognize these qualities all around us.  We have seen them at work in the people around us.  We have, unfortunately, also seem them repeatedly in our own life experience.  We have all hurt people deeply with our tongue.  We have all had unintended things come out of our mouths.  We have all praised God at church and then said hurtful things to or about someone else.  This is a warning label about the tongue.   

THE TONGUE IS DANGEROUS: Fire burns whatever is in its path, spreads and grows in both heat and intensity.  The tongue presents a danger that can be just as destructive to relationships and the lives of others. It determines our own reputation and can lead us down paths of unrighteousness.  The way we use our words will impact the way that others look at us or think about us.  Our words set the stage for how we will live our lives.  James describes it as being set ablaze from the fires of hell which is very sobering.  We must recognize the danger the tongue represents.

THE TONGUE IS DOMINANT: Attempts to control our tongues will often be discouraging.  Men have been able to tame and train all kinds of large and small beasts but there has never been a man who could perfectly control his tongue.  That does not mean that we should not try.  It just means that we need to understand that we are up against a very difficult task and need to be prepared for a very difficult battle.  There are times where we may thing that we have our speech under control and then things will come out of our mouths just when we least expect it.   

THE TONGUE IS DUPLICIT: The tongue has amazing potential for both good and evil.  We worship the Lord with our tongues.  We can encourage others and express love to other people with our words.  Then with the same tongue we can blaspheme and tear down others.  God has made it clear in Scripture that when we love others we love Him and when we show indifference or hatred towards others we do the same to Him.  The togue has the ability to do both helpful and harmful things and it should not be this way.

APPLICATION: Beware of the danger that our tongue represents.  Be prepared for the long struggle we will have in striving to control our speech.  Strive to use our tongues in a positive way and when that is not possible strive for silence.