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| Speech
Patrol |
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| Bubba
Garner |
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David is going through a
shy stage. When somebody says hello or speaks to him, he
almost immediately puts his hand in his mouth or disappears
behind my legs. But put him at the dinner table and ask him
about Simba or Lightning McQueen, you can’t get him to be
quiet long enough to eat his food. I suppose he comes by it
honestly. His daddy struggles, too, with knowing when to speak
and when to remain silent.
Tongue trouble is, in fact, a lifelong struggle. You never
reach the age or level of maturity where you have completely
conquered it. Remember, James warned that “no man can tame
the tongue” (Jam. 3:8). Anyone who thinks otherwise
dangerously underestimates its power and potential. Solomon
said that death and life are in its hand (Prov. 18:21) and
that the one who guards his mouth is able to keep his whole
soul from trouble (Prov. 21:23).
The first twelve verses of James three constitute James’
sermon on the tongue. This section first appears to be a
lesson for teachers; let not many of you be “masters” (KJV),
for few can master the tongue. But the applications reach to
include anyone who speaks. He suggests some things to help you
get a hold of your tongue before it gets a hold of you.
Realize that a little bit goes a long way.
When you think about all of the organs and muscles that make
up your body, it is easy to overlook the tongue. It is not as
big as the heart or the lungs or the liver. Indeed, it is a
“small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great
things” (Jam. 3:5). With a tiny bit in his mouth, you can
bring the whole horse under your control. With a small rudder,
a captain can steer a ship through a storm and overcome the
elements. “How much more ought we to be able to govern
ourselves” (William Wordsworth)! It is no wonder that James
said, “If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet
does not bridle his tongue… this man’s religion is
worthless” (Jam. 1:26). The difference between right and
wrong is very often found in a few words.
Understand that what you say can blow up in your face.
“See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire!
And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity” (Jam.
3:5-6). That’s an interesting metaphor, isn’t it? But
words are like fire. All it takes is one careless match, one
slip of the tongue, and a flickering flame becomes a raging
inferno. And once it starts to spread, good luck trying to put
it out. You might be able to correct the matter with the
people you told. But how will you ever track down the people
they told, and the people they told… And what about the
damage? Can you take what has been burned and ruined and put
it back together? The righteous do not “take up a reproach
against a friend” (Psa. 15:3). It is one thing to not spread
something around. It is quite another to refuse to even pick
it up.
Don’t think that words will never harm you.
The old “sticks and stones” adage says they won’t. But
James assures us of just the opposite. “The tongue is set
among our members as that which defiles the entire body”
(Jam. 3:6). The trouble with the tongue is not just that we
use it to hurt other people. It’s that we end up hurting
ourselves even more. Poor speech can destroy reputations that
took years to build. It can cause influences that were strong
and reaching to come crumbling down in a matter of minutes.
And if you somehow escape this life unscathed by your words,
don’t count on the Lord letting them slip by. Jesus said
that “every careless word that men shall speak, they shall
render account for it in the day of judgment” (Matt. 12:36).
The inevitable result of all lying, gossiping, and slandering
is death by your own poison.
Be sure that you can’t talk out of both sides of your mouth.
“From the same mouth come
both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not
to be this way” (Jam. 3:10). Nature will not allow the same
fountain to bring forth both fresh and bitter water. Neither
will it allow a fig tree to produce olives or a vine to
produce figs. Why, then, can’t we see the inconsistency of
using our tongues to praise God and curse men made in His
image? If a double-minded man is “unable in all his ways”
(Jam. 1:8), wouldn’t the same be true of the one who is
double- tongued? These things ought not to be this way!
David referred to his mouth as the “door of my lips”
(Psalm 141:3). More often than not, it is a door that needs to
be kept shut.
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Copyright (C)
2008
Southside Church of Christ
All rights reserved.
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