Faith That Worksಮಾದರಿ

You Worship God with That Mouth?

As we have been working through what it looks like to put our faith in action, we have identified how important it is to live a life that’s consistent with the person we claim to follow: Jesus. We look really silly when we call ourselves Christians, but act and talk in ways that say the opposite. As followers of Jesus, it matters that we learn from the example of Jesus how to love God with all we are and love others the way we want to be loved—that’s when our lives will show others the goodness of God.

If anything is going to make or break your efforts on this mission of being more like Jesus, it will be your ability (or lack thereof) to tame your tongue—and that’s exactly what we’re talking about today.

If you’re a human being, you’ve for sure said something stupid at some point. Maybe you slipped up and said the wrong thing, or maybe something you said came across very differently than how you meant it. Maybe you’ve said something mean behind someone’s back, or lashed out in anger at someone you care about.

It’s really easy to let your mouth get the best of you, and for many of us, our lack of self-control over what we say has the potential to take us out, whether by destroying our relationships or wrecking our credibility as a leader and follower of Christ. Because the thing about our words is, whether they come out bad enough to make us want to crawl into a hole or they just barely miss the mark, what we say has power, and we are called to wield this power responsibly.

Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 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. 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. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 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. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. James 3:1-8 NIV

Though the tongue is a small part of us, it has the power to reveal who we are and shape who we become. What we say matters because it reveals what’s in us. James describes the tongue as a fire, a world of evil, and a deadly poison—and when we allow sin to guide our voice and direct our words, this is exactly what we spread to those who hear us: fire, evil, and poison.

If this sounds extreme, think about the worst thing anyone has ever said to you. How has that one statement changed the way you view yourself or the way you view the world? You may have heard it only once, and yet the hurt and the pain have stuck in your mind. Words have power.

The opposite can be true for words that bring life! You can probably also recall the last time you received praise, appreciation, or a compliment that really impacted you. Just as evil words can be poisonous to our minds, a kind word is like honey for our souls.

If we were given the choice of what effect we wanted to have on people, we would (hopefully) choose to leave people better than we found them, rather than leaving fire, poison, and destruction in our wake. So why do we still say things that hurt people? Why is it so hard to control our mouths and to think before we speak? Why is it so easy to insult that person who really annoys us?

In the above passage, James gives us a bit of a break—he clarifies that nobody can fully tame the tongue, and that anyone who never misspoke would be perfect in every way and have full control of their whole body. Obviously, this has only ever been true of Jesus. Yet, James still challenges us to do our best and commit ourselves to mastering our mouths.

How can you start? Begin by allowing God into the nitty gritty parts of your soul and inviting Him to change your heart. Over time, this is the fruit that will be produced in your life:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.Galatians 5:22-23 NIV

Life by the Spirit produces good fruit, and self-control is the fruit of the Spirit that allows us to think before we speak! This means we can honor the Lord with our speech and love others with our words, even though our tongues are bent toward burning the world down. We build the skill of self-control by allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us as we choose to live life Jesus’ way.

What we say reveals what is in us, and God wants all of us. Not just our Sunday best. He wants every nasty thought, evil desire, and hurtful mindset, because when we submit these yucky parts of ourselves to Him, He will refine and reform us. That’s the incredible thing about God—He doesn’t shy away from our brokenness. Instead, He draws us near to His presence and invites us into His perfect love.

Challenge: Think about or journal through the following questions:

• What part of your heart do you need to invite God to change/heal/reform?
• In what ways is taming your tongue going well?
• In what ways is taming your tongue not going well? How can you invite the Holy Spirit to help you?