James 3

May 24, 2022

Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.

Reading along with us in James? Here’s today’s reading:

James 3 (NIV)

Taming the Tongue
1 Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.
3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. ..........Continue Reading

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This Post Has 9 Comments

  1. So glad my beautiful wife just advised me we are in the book of James. Just reading the first chapter. Consider it pure joy in trials as God is molding something complete and mature. So comforting to know this. That as long as Christ is with us and comforting us through these trials. We have peace. Vs 9. Love being a child of God. As whether we are rich or poor. Al glory goes to God above. Every good and perfect gift comes from above. We can’t take any credit. The opposite of the world. True religion is taking care of widows and orphans. Perfect definition. Chapter 2. Is one I need to remind myself of. I think of who Jesus had compassion on. Mostly outsiders that everyone would pass by. He spent time with and went out of his way to meet their needs. Fitting that faith without deeds would follow this. Need to step out of our comfort box and look for opportunities to get involved in other’s difficulties. As a church we do that. Thank God!!

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  2. I have always been aware of how the Bible describes the tongue as so destructive In so many ways. Instead of using to build things up many times its used to destroy people. I am also thinking if we could keep some of those thoughts captive would be less apt to come out of your mouth. It’s when there is confrontation and no time to think we are most apt to react and spew unkind things. I love the description of good wisdom and evil wisdom. The good in how we live and deeds done without making big deal about it. Bad is worldly wisdom and using strong words such as unspiritual and demonic. The good wisdom fro. Heaven pure and peace loving considerate full of mercy good fruit impartial and sincere. It sounds so beautiful.

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  3. Oh the tongue! So small and so powerful! I love the comparison to a rudder or a bit used in a horse because it couldn’t be more accurate that something so small could make such a large change in direction. What is said and not said can be so powerful in our relationships!
    Like our own small beast in need of taming it is a constant and daily struggle to stop and think about what we say and how we say things before we let them exit our mouths. Words are so powerful….the power to hurt, to heal, to start wars and to end them! We need to be thoughtful and have God’s heart when we speak!

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  4. Taming the tongue. Takes a tremendous amount of time and help from the Holy Spirit. Easy to stand out these days if we don’t engage in any course joking swearing etc. that comes from not wanting to grieve the Holy Spirit. The more we understand and love our Lord the easier it becomes. Our God is awesome

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  5. Words are very powerful and can have great impact in ours and other’s lives: for the good and for the ill. We can wound or we can heal. We can criticize or we can compliment. We can build up or we can tear down. Even good input can be corrupted by the way we say things. And what we say reflects our hearts. So harsh words not only have ill effects on others around us but on us as well, making clear what is inside us. And James is wise to say that we cannot tame the tongue on our own. It takes the power and influence of God, but an influence that we foster by being in the Word and in the Spirit. It is about taking thoughts captive and than thinking before we speak. The worst thing we can do in communication is react rather than respond. Once words leave our lips it is impossible to take them back.

    And so much of this is aided by what James shares at the end of the chapter. God’s wisdom fosters peace and understanding, humility and mercy, impartiality and sincerity. The world’s wisdom fosters envy and boasting, competition and greed, selfishness and possessiveness. The more we have God’s wisdom occupying our hearts, I guarantee you the better our communication will be. Let’s seek improvement in this area and find the benefit that comes to us and others…..

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  7. We look at our world where government is trying to “tame” our tongues and squelch our voices, as if for our societal and moral good. Its like the grand delusion. Many of us still recognize that we have “rights” given to us by God, say our founding fathers. I think this is true. We must be careful about what we say and how we say it, but it doesn’t mean that we don’t speak. Certainly, we do not stop sharing the gospel or suppress our own voices. Our speech should contrast with that of the world that is spouting blasphemies. I thought of Daniel 11 and Revelation 13 where the Anti-christ spouts great blasphemies “And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months.”

    We are in a war of words, may God give us wisdom.

    “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”

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