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, 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.
- Why would James state that no one can tame the tongue?
- Why are you more likely to say bad things about your fellow man than about God?
- When are you more likely to lash out, put down, or otherwise say bad about others?
- What prompts your tongue to get out of control?
- What is the real source of "tongue" problems?
- How does focusing on the outside problem (tongue) keep us from dealing with the inside problem (self-oriented, self-protection)?
It is tempting to spend our energy on controlling our tongue without addressing the source of the fire that your tongue can produce. Jesus said in Matthew 15:18-20 that what was in the heart determined what came from the mouth. So we are back to our self-serving, self-reliant, easily tempted self. Should you think before you speak? Absolutely! Should you look deep inside (or maybe not so deep in some cases) and find the unloving, unbelieving attitudes that generated the desire to say something beastly? Absolutely! I think I need to go look down my mouth using a mirror.
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