Begin your time with prayer
Scripture
James 3:6-12 And the tongue is a fire! The tongue represents the world of wrongdoing among the parts of our bodies. It pollutes the entire body and sets fire to the course of human existence – and is set on fire by hell. For every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and sea creature is subdued and has been subdued by humankind. But no human being can subdue the tongue; it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse people made in God’s image. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. These things should not be so, my brothers and sisters. A spring does not pour out fresh water and bitter water from the same opening, does it? Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers and sisters, or a vine produce figs? Neither can a salt water spring produce fresh water.
Reactions
What is James talking about here?
What are your initial reactions?
Digging below the surface
James uses several figures of speech here again. What are they? Why do you think they are good descriptions?
What would it mean to “tame the tongue”?
Is fire good or bad? Could “the tongue is a fire” have a good implication as well as a negative one?
Making it stick
How aware are you of the power of your tongue?
Ask God to help you evaluate your speech. Is it a spring of fresh water or bitter water?
Notes
If it weren’t for our tongue – our words – we would have no means of communicating what is in our souls. We each have power within us – power to build up or tear down. How we use our tongue determines what we do with that power.
The spark from one person’s tongue can set the whole world on fire. When I think of fire, I think of two kinds. The first, a raging fire that destroys everything in its path. The second, a fire kindling warmth and light with its heat.
James mentions an inconsistency here, too. On one hand I use my tongue for good. Then I spin around and use it to tear down. I am saved by God’s grace but am still a sinner. I’ll always struggle with this, because I can’t tame my tongue on my own. I need God to tame it – to take its power and use it for good. Again, it’s about dependence on God. “No human being can subdue the tongue.” But God can.
Lord, only you can tame my tongue by changing my heart. Will you reveal to me the power in my tongue and show me how to use it for good? Especially as I speak into the lives of those closest to me! Help me to speak words of grace and kindness and always truth, to kindle a healing, warming fire in them rather than one that burns and destroys.