THE INFLUENCE OF THE TONGUE
THE INFLUENCE OF THE TONGUE
If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 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. 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! 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. Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom —James 3:3-13
I read that the heaviest horse ever weighed 3,360 lbs. That is over 1 ½ tons! Yet a bit in its mouth weighing 1½-2 lbs. can guide that animal where the holder of the reigns desires! Wow! Or take the largest ship ever. I also read that the Seawise Giant was the largest ship built. It was 1,503 feet long, cost about $4.5 and because of its draft, about 80 feet, could not pass through the English Channel! Yet its rudder only weighted 230 tons and was able to turn this ship that weighed 564,763 tons. Yes, huge objects can be impacted by strategically place things.
So it is with the tongue. I read that the average person’s weight in the world is 137 lbs and the yet the human tongue, well under 1 lb., can greatly impact the person… and people around them. In the verses above we are told that the tongue: 1- can be boastful 2- can be a destructing fire of unrighteousness 3- can “stain the body” by improper speech 4- can destroy the course of our lives by demon influence 4- cannot be tamed by man 5- is a restless evil 6- is full of deadly poison 7- blesses God, then curses those created in His image 8- blesses and curses.
“A spring does not “pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water.” A fig tree does not “bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs.” A salt pond does not “yield fresh water.” A tongue guided by the Spirit of God does not speak unrighteously. The wise and understanding will “by his good conduct… show his works in the meekness of wisdom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sU18Nc07rjw
So… what are your tongue and my tongue producing? “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (James 1:19). Dear Father please help me to speak what You desire. May my speech be for the building up and not for the tearing down. May this be so in the power of Your Holy Spirit and in the authority of Jesus. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE493luUYRU