Hello Friends!
Welcome back to our Monday morning Daily Devotions
summer series titled
“The Book of James: Putting Faith to Work!”
The Book of James: Putting Faith to Work!
This
week we will continue our reading of verses 1-5
in beginning chapter
3 as we consider Taming the Tongue…
James
presents the matter of the “tongue”
as another test of “living faith” in Jesus Christ. True “faith” will be demonstrated by our “speech” in “truth”
& “righteousness” as will
a false “faith” that
habitually “lies” & “deceives.” Therefore, the “tongue” is the real
you! The “tongue” is a
tattletale and it points to our “heart”
as the problem! In fact, Jesus Christ Himself mentioned the “mouth” in this matter: “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” –
The tongue reveals our heart!
Taming the Tongue!
This
issue of the “mouth” is also
of great concern to James, as he mentions the “tongue”
in every chapter of this excellent epistle. And now James
stresses that “new life”
transformation through “salvation”
will show up in the way a “believer”
speaks. Therefore, James is demanding here that “we” must recognize that true “living faith” will prove
itself by a “controlling” of
the “tongue” in our spiritual
maturity. The focal point of our fallen “sinful”
nature and desperate depravity is our “mouth”
– Tame your tongue!
Taming
the “tongue” is essential for
the “Christian” life and James
gives us several compelling reasons for harnessing its positive potential and
power. To begin with, James calls us to consider our “tongue” because of its “judgment” factor:
My
brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a
stricter judgment – James
3:1
The
full context here again is a matter of “speech”
regarding the proper handling of God’s Word. The implication of what James is
saying in this passage is that we must take extreme care
not to thrust ourselves into a “teaching”
position through silly self-promotional efforts concerning the instruction of
God’s Word. Why? Because of the potential to bring “judgment” upon ourselves through our “mouth” as we falsify God’s Word to the “hearers” placed before us. Therefore, we
must never willingly misrepresent the “Scriptures” in such a way that would
discredit God’s Word – His Holy character or
nature!
However,
this is not to deny the fact that God does want His Holy
Word “taught” in its proper
context through the capable capacity of the
true “worker” of whom is “called” and “gifted” by the Holy Spirit. In fact, the Apostle Paul
had this to say concerning the two “faithful” young pastors under his
tenacious “teaching” tutelage:
This is
a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good
work – 1 Timothy 3:1
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker
who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth – 2
Timothy 2:15
…holding
fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound
doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict – Titus 1:9
Therefore,
we must not embark upon a formal “teaching” ministry without a sense of the seriousness
involved. Incidentally, James has in mind not only blatant “false teachers,” but also the ignorant,
unqualified, unprepared, unapproved or wrongly instructed handler of God’s Word. And no doubt
in the “assembly” to which
James is writing, there was some failure to consider this great
concern and people were aspiring to an official “teaching” role with all of its prestige
and honor with very little or no thought
as to the severe implications involved. In other words,
those who articulate and “teach”
Biblical “truth” must take a personal
inventory of their own “speech”
to see if their “words,” their
“doctrine”
and their “works” are
legitimate in the sight of a Holy God – Very
Serious!
Everyone
“sins” in a myriad of ways and the “mouth” underlies the stern warning
regarding foolishly hurrying into the position of “teaching” God’s Word. Therefore, James
then expands upon his concerns related to this extremely important subject
matter:
For we
all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect
man, able also to bridle the whole body – James 3:2
This
word “stumble” is a synonym
for the word “sin” and refers
to a major moral lapse or an offense
against God’s Holy character and nature. Obviously, there is no
“perfect man”
of whom will never “stumble,”
because we all will “sin”
in “many things” as declared throughout
the Scriptures. James is simply saying that only the spiritually
mature and firmly grounded “believer”
is able to control their “tongue”
and thus as a result “bridle”
their “whole body”
with all of its “fleshly” and
wicked impulses. Although we will remain in our “fallen”
state until we meet the Lord in “glory,”
the true “follower” of Jesus
Christ can “overcome” their “sinful” tendencies by consistently
dying to the “flesh” and “being” continually “filled” with the “power” of the “indwelling” Holy Spirit – Praise the Lord!
THEOLOGICAL THOUGHTS: The Apostle Paul also
expounded on this “truth” that
“no one is good” and cannot
“bridle”
himself! Therefore, it must be a supernatural “work” of God within the “wicked” and “sinfully” depraved “heart”
of man to “save” him from his
“sin.” In the third chapter of Paul’s excellent epistle to
the Romans he quotes directly
from the very “Word of God”
using several marvelous illustrations from the Old Testament Prophets to make this
theological “teaching” point
pertaining to the “doctrine”
of Original Sin and its
devastating and disastrous decimation upon mankind…
As it
is written:
“There
is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is
none who seeks after God. They have all turned
aside; they have together become unprofitable;
there is none who does good, no, not one” (Psalm 14:1-3, 53:1-3
& Ecclesiastes 7:20)
“Their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have practiced deceit” (Psalm
5:9)
“The
poison of asps is under their lips” (Psalm 140:3)
“Whose
mouth is full of cursing and bitterness” (Psalm
10:7)
“Their
feet are swift to shed blood; destruction and misery are in their ways; and the way of peace
they have not known” (Isaiah
59:7-8)
“There
is no fear of God before their eyes” (Psalm
36:1)
This
is God’s comprehensive list of stinging statements taken directly from His
perfect, inerrant, eternal and sufficient Word pertaining to the desperate
“depravity” found within the “whole body”
of “sinners” to include all
of “us” – Focus on your tongue!
Next,
to help us better “understand”
this important point concerning the “evil”
of the human “tongue” – James provides three illustrations…
Illustration One: James refers to a “horse” to make his point:
Indeed,
we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole
body – James 3:3
How
does one control a horse? By controlling its “tongue!” A metal “bit” is placed in the horses’ “mouth” and it lays on his “tongue.” You then attach it to a harness
and pull it up over his head, take the reins and when this apparatus is pulled
against the horse’s “tongue,”
it will “obey” your every
command. The horses’ “whole
body” is now under complete
subjection to your full control! As is true of an unbroken and unbridled “horse” so it is of an un-submissive and “sinful” person – Good for absolutely nothing!
Illustration Two: James refers to “ships” in further declaring his point:
Look
also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they
are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires – James 3:4
How
does one control a ship? By controlling its “rudder!” When the “pilot” applies power at the proper
point, it is sufficient to control the whole vessel as he “desires” to do so. Therefore,
“self-control” applied to the
“mouth” is sufficient to “control” the whole
person. The focal point is to concentrate on the “control” of your “tongue”
and if you do that, you’ll command every other part of your life – By the power of the Holy Spirit!
Illustration Three: James finally refers to a “little fire”
in summing up his point:
Even so
the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! – James 3:5
How
does one control a fire? By controlling its “kindle!” The “tongue”
may be a “little member” of
the “body” but It is a very
powerful instrument for destruction! When it “boasts great things” in lies and
hypocrisy, it will indeed tear down people and churches as well as destroy
relationships. It can mangle a marriage and devastate a family. It can even
lead to murder and war. And if we do not get a “hold”
of this “little member” of our
body, it will “control”
the entirety of our lives – Wicked depravity!
Essentially
James says, “If you can just get control of your
little tongue, you can move everything else!” In fact, the
Apostle Paul also admonished the “brethren”
in Colossi to “put off”
all “filthy language”
and other such “sins” of the
mangy “mouth”:
But now
you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy,
filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have
put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed
in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is
neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian,
slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all – Colossians 3:8-11
On the other hand… The “tongue”
can also be used to “build up”
others, express “love,” “joy,” “peace,”
“patience,” “kindness,” “goodness”
as well as enthusiasm, encouragement, comfort and support when “empowered” by the Holy Spirit of God! The
Apostle Paul then continues his line of thought in this regard:
Therefore,
as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness,
humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one
another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you,
so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond
of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you
were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you
richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And
whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving
thanks to God the Father through Him – Colossians
3:12-17
So
James and Paul equally “admonish”
us to take a very close look at our “hearts” of which rules over our “words” spoken – To the glory of God!
IMPORTANT QUESTION: Do you “live” by the “speech”
of a “living faith” in Jesus
Christ or by a “dead faith” in
your “sinful” and fallen “fleshly” nature? Although we will “sin” in “many
ways” through our corruption, we must
willingly “submit” our lives
to the Holy Spirit’s “control”
over our “tongue” because of
its power to “condemn”
ourselves and others – What a practical word
that is for us today!
In closing:
The
original Hebrew literary approach focused very often on the guilty “member” of the physical body rather than
on the “heart” issue. For
example, we read about “feet swift to shed
blood” as if the “feet”
were the culprits in a murder. We read about “eyes of adultery” as if the “eyes” were guilty of sexual impropriety.
Of course we know it is the “sinful”
and “fallen” inner
person that is to blame – Guilty as charged!
Therefore,
the Jewish expressions regularly spoke of a particular body part itself as if it
were the guilty party. Similarly, when James refers to the “mouth” and the “tongue,” it isn’t that he blames them as
if they operated independently of other “fleshly”
impulses. It is simply that they are the “sinful”
bodily organ by which the “heart”
expresses itself most clearly – The tongue personifies the heart!
On
a lighter note… Someone once regarded the “tongue”
in this way:
“Remember your tongue is in a wet
place, and it can slip easily! Every one of us is carrying around a concealed
weapon. All we have to do is open our mouths and it’s unconcealed.”
FUN FACTS: The average person “speaks” about 18,000 to 25,000
words a day. In fact, some studies have shown that a man will speak
approximately 25,000 words in a day and a woman will speak
approximately 30,000 words in that same day. I’m not sure
who tallied these numbers, but they may indeed be quite accurate. The potential
problem here is by the time the typical man comes home from a long day of work,
he has already spent his 25,000 words…
However, the woman has most likely barely started using
her 30,000 words – And she is just
waiting for her opportunity!
Thank you for reading! Don’t miss next week’s continued study of The
Book of James: Putting Faith to Work!…
May the Lord Jesus Christ continue to bless you with His perfect
love, mercy and grace!
Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah
and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!
Blessings!
Shane <><
However, the thing that has changed from my high school days to my devotion
writing is what God has placed on my heart. My best writing always comes
when God inspires my heart to say things about His love and grace. It is
the relationship I have with Him that encourages me to love on others and
challenges me when I want to distance myself from them. That is my
strength, and I do my best to release it to all who I come into contact with
because they then see the best in me. They see what God sees in me.