James 3:1–12 ¹ Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. ² We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his 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 person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. ⁷ All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, ⁸ but no man 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 men, who have been made in God’s likeness. ¹⁰ Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. ¹¹ Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? ¹² My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

Today is my grandson’s last day of school for the year. Since they have been living with us, I usually get up and make his breakfast so we can eat together and visit. This morning, we were talking about how hard it is to control the tongue. He has had some kids say some mean things to him that hurt his feelings, and he has said some mean things, too. It is hard to tame the tongue.

I was reminded of the phrase that is so popular, especially in the South: “Bless Your Heart!” Folks seem to think saying “bless your heart” excuses you for speaking ill of someone. It gives the appearance of being polite while saying mean things.

• Bless her heart, What was she thinking wearing that!
• I heard one lady say “That little girl has a face only a mother could love, Bless her little heart.”
• “She probably thinks her hair looks good that way BLESS HER HEART.”

The tongue is a small part of the body, but look at how powerful it is! The tongue can cause devastation. James calls it “a world of evil among the parts of the body” and “a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”

Matthew 5:21-22 ²¹ “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ ²² But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

Jesus said that when the tongue is used to injure your neighbor, you have violated the commandment “You shall not murder.”  And did you catch what he said we deserve because we cannot control our tongues? HELL!  Thankfully, the one who spoke these words also provided the solution: The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. That truly gives us the forgiveness we need to be assured of peace with God. That also gives us the motivation to want to tame our tongue and speak in a God pleasing way in the future.

Lord, help me to tame my tongue so that I say the things that are pleasing to you and helpful for my neighbor.