“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” — Ephesians 4:29

Tame the Tongue

The tongue is powerful. James speaks of this power by illustrating how the tongue, yet small in size, steers the direction of the entire body. Throughout Scripture (especially in Proverbs) the tongue is the deciding factor between the foolish and the wise. As followers of Jesus, we’re called to pursue righteousness, and that includes taming one of the smallest yet mightiest aspects of our anatomy.

I’m sure you can name countless examples of failure to tame the tongue, such as gossip or obscene humor. In sports, obscene humor and crude jokes seems to be the vehicle of choice for Satan to sneak his way into human speech. I find this to be especially true in the locker room. I’ve been there. Someone starts it, and then it snowballs into something more inappropriate and dark.

What if today, we as believers set out to speak in a way that is uplifting and full of truth? What if we made it our focus to display the love of Christ in our speech? Not only would this be noticed by non-believers, but it would steer our entire body and spirit toward righteousness. Righteous and holy behavior starts with the tongue, and praise be to the Father that He is present to help us in this real and tough battle. Keep the fight.

“When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 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. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts.” — James 3: 3-6

— Luke Heaton      

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