For all of the discipline that has been strived for, for all of the spiritual maturity and wisdom that have been gained, for all of the many wonderful spiritual gifts that have been given, despite these things, one common struggle I have personally wrestled with and have seen countless mature members of the body of Christ wrestled with, is the attempt to tame our tongues.
It’s really quite remarkable that our tongues bring about such a struggle, as they were intended to be a gift of encouragement, an avenue for praise, and an instrument for truth to be used for God’s glory. With the tongue John the Baptist prophesied and prepared the way for the coming Messiah, Jesus preached the good news of the Kingdom of God, Paul testified to the risen Christ in front of emperors and rulers, multitudes praised God, angels brought answers and calmed fears, and demons were driven out through the power of Jesus’ name! The tongue is meant to be one of the very things that marks us- God’s people- as holy and set apart!
Yet, today alone I have witnessed, been the culprit of, or have been confided in about some sort of instance where the tongue of a brother or sister in Christ inflicted pain on another person. Why is this the case? What does God’s word have to say about what our fallen state has done to the tongue? Let’s look at James 3: 7-10:
“All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue… With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.”
Zoinks. That is a sobering statement, isn’t it? With the same mouth we say, “You are great, Lord!” and with that same mouth we also gossip about our friends, coworkers, and family behind their backs! I want to rally against these verses and say, “No, it isn’t so!” Yet, if I am honest with my own faults, and with the evidence of the hurts that the tongues of the greater community of Christ have inflicted, I cannot say that this is not, at times, true.
One needs to look no further than facebook to see how the tongue, spurred on by a hot-tempered reaction to a political, social, or religious post, can cause rifts, stab at another human’s integrity, and break trust. In just the click of a few keys on the keyboard and the tap of the enter button, one comment can ruin our witness as a believer. And that’s just on one website, not to mention our interactions with one another on a day to day basis. Too often we see lying, quarreling, verbal attacks, and the like mark the lives of followers of Christ, instead of a proclamation of His truth in love.
So, what do we do? If these verses in James are true, how do we get to where God wants us to be with our tongues? God has shown us how. In Matthew 19:26 Jesus tells His disciples this:
“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
We need not rely on our own power to control our tongues, for when we are in Christ, we are given the power of God to help us do this! We are not people that are bound by our old way of life, for God has made us new. In His power, we can use our tongues to bring God’s light to a world in darkness! So, family of God, let’s commit to one another to start, today, to live into the reality that in the power of Jesus Christ, we can be different! Instead of being people who use our tongues to jab, divide, and stir up, let us be people who use this tool to heal, unite, and bring peace, in Jesus’ name!
Laura Claus Associate Pastor
