How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell. For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no one can tame the tongue - a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water? Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield olives, or a grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh.
Parts of Texas experienced horrific fires last summer. Approximately 3.5 million acres and over 1000 homes were destroyed. The combination of drought and wind contributed to the devastation. Wild fire is deadly. We read every summer of the fires that consume acres of forest land in Colorado. What always amazes me in the reports is that so often, a careless camp fire ... or a discarded cigarette butt ... some small spark set the whole thing in motion. That's one of James' points. So much damage can come from cruel, sometimes just careless, words.
His second point is that one source should only produce one product. I don't like coffee. I know, I know, as an adult, I'm supposed to ... but, fact is, I don't. I've tried. My husband loves it. So the ritual of morning coffee making falls under his dominion. Occasionally, if the pot does not get set up exactly right, it all spills over and creates a huge mess on the counter top. (and in the cabinets below!) As soon as the mishap is discovered there is frantic mopping up of the mess with a towel or sponge. When the sponge is taken to the sink and wrung out ... guess what comes out? You're right - coffee. We would be very surprised if cranberry juice came dripping out of that sponge. That's just not the way things work. So with our tongues ... words of praise for God and blessings to others come out of our mouths ... therefore, slander, cruel joking, cursing, hurtful words should not come out of the same mouth! Those two things shouldn't come from the same source.
Now ... some questions for you and I:
1. What is "in" you?
John 14:17 Jesus was speaking: "The world cannot accept him (the Holy Spirit) because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you."
Acts 2:38 - 39 Peter was speaking: "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off - for all whom the Lord our God will call."
I guess the appropriate question is 'Who" is in you?
2. What about your natural self?
Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
3.Who is in control of you?
Romans 8:9, 11 "You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. ... And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies (maybe even our 'tongues'?) through his Spirit, who lives in you."
Conclusion: My friends ... we cannot control our wild and restless tongues - BUT GOD CAN! Can we better submit ourselves to His control? Can we better exercise the mind of Christ that was given to us? Can we desire to "grow up" to a maturity in the Lord? Can we be more concerned about reflecting Christ than being the center of a conversation because of our witty, caustic humor?
Purify our tongues, oh Lord our God.
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