Taming the Tongue

 

This is something that I am still working on.  Some days I do better than others.  The days that I have to tell my daughter something over and over and over…. the days that I am constantly telling her no and then end up yelling at her.. the days that my husband says something and I take it wrong so I end up snapping at him. 

Your words are like a knife, they can cut deeply and leave wounds that take forever to heal and then they leave scars that can last forever.  I need to continue to pray for help on this, to be able to hold my tongue more, to be able to just walk away and pray instead of lashing out. 

I just pray that the Lord will continue to have patience with me and put His hand over my mouth when need be!

James 3

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. ⁴ Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. ⁵ Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. ⁶ The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

⁷ All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, ⁸ but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

⁹ With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. ¹⁰ Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. ¹¹ Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? ¹² My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

*italics are mine… this whole chapter is very important though… Pin It