James 3:1-6 Amplified Bible
The Tongue Is a Fire
3 Not many [of you] should become teachers [serving in an official teaching capacity], my brothers and sisters, for you know that we [who are teachers] will [a]be judged by a higher standard [because we have assumed greater accountability and more condemnation if we teach incorrectly]. 2 For we all stumble and sin in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says [never saying the wrong thing], he is a perfect man [fully developed in character, without serious flaws], able to bridle his whole body and rein in his entire nature [taming his human faults and weaknesses]. 3 Now if we put bits into the horses’ mouths to make them obey us, we guide their whole body as well. 4 And look at the ships. Even though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the impulse of the helmsman determines. 5 In the same sense, the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things.
See [by comparison] how great a forest is set on fire by a small spark! 6 And the tongue is [in a sense] a fire, the very world of injustice and unrighteousness; the tongue is set among our members as that which contaminates the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life [the cycle of man’s existence], and is itself set on fire by [b]hell (Gehenna).
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Doesn’t it seem at times, that modern life has become a three ring circus?
Sometimes we’re the clowns making people laugh, juggler, trying to manage all the family, career and life responsibilities, or the tightrope walker, trying to walk that line between living for Christ and the constant pull of the world.
Other times we are the strongman, muscled, wrestling with heavy burdens and temptations that are never-ending. And don’t forget the clowns that surround us everywhere with their colorful make-up, their clumsy, and too goofy antics!
Their insanity drains our time and energy, but we simply must deal with them.
Yet, against this backdrop, God is there as ring master, orchestrating the whole thing, making order out of all the chaos – to the extent we turn it over to Him.
“Ladies and Gentlemen and boys and girls, young and old Children of all ages”
Deuteronomy 6:4-7 Amplified Bible
4 “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one [the only God]! 5 You shall all love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and with all your soul and with all your strength [your entire being].6 These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be [written] on your heart and mind. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your [a]children [impressing God’s precepts on their minds and penetrating their hearts with His truths] and shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road and when you lie down and when you get up.
In the more contemporary sense we should add “drive your cars, trucks, busses, motorcycles, atv’s, recreational vehicles, 18 wheelers, fly your planes, private jets.
Let’s not forget those who make their livings and take their vacations upon the vast oceanic seas, rivers, and waterways, in their fishing boats and their yachts, the row boats and motor boats, our Navies, the Navy’s of the world, the gargantuan tankers and container ships, tug boats, cruise ships of all sizes and elegance and luxury.
The Lord God desires that all may come to know Him and share a relationship.
Psalm 46:10 Amplified Bible
10
“Be still and know (recognize, understand) that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth.”
Psalm 100:3 Amplified Bible
3
Know and fully recognize with gratitude that the Lord Himself is God;
It is He who has made us, [a]not we ourselves [and we are His].
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Psalm 139:1-6 Amplified Bible
God’s Omnipresence and Omniscience.
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
139 O Lord, you have searched me [thoroughly] and have known me.
2
You know when I sit down and when I rise up [my entire life, everything I do];
You understand my thought from afar.
3
You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
And You are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
4
Even before there is a word on my tongue [still unspoken],
Behold, O Lord, You know it all.
5
You have enclosed me behind and before,
And [You have] placed Your hand upon me.
6
Such [infinite] knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is too high [above me], I cannot reach it.
And one of the best ways we can experience victory with Him is to become a big cat tamer and take control of that most vicious of beasts – the human tongue!
We know how difficult it is to tame a real lion, even one raised from a cub.
Just remember the tragic account of Siegfried and Roy, the famous Las Vegas magic act featuring white tigers.
In 2003 one such tiger, Manticore, suddenly bit Roy in the neck and dragged him offstage, ending his career and nearly his life. Which makes us ask – can a lion, or tiger or the human tongue, really be tamed even by “trained experts?”
James 3:2-6 Disciples’ Literal New Testament
2 For we all stumble many[a] ways. If one does not stumble in speech, this one is a perfect man able to bridle[b] also the whole body. 3 Now if we put bridles into the mouths of horses so-that they obey us, we also guide their whole body. 4 Behold also ships being so large and being driven by hard winds— they are guided by a very small rudder where the impulse of the one steering wants. 5 So also the tongue is a small body-part, and boastfully-declares great things. Behold how-small a fire kindles how-great a forest!
An Untamed Tongue Stains And Burns And Poisons Life
6 And the tongue is a fire! The[c] tongue is made[d] the world of [e] unrighteousness among our body-parts— the thing staining the whole body and setting-on-fire the course of our existence, and being set-on-fire by Gehenna[f].
Lions and tigers are strong, magnificent creatures, but dangerous. They can turn on you suddenly, in a split-second, cause untold damage or kill you. Yet when they are under the control of the lion tamer, they are beautiful to behold.
Just like our tongues …
Proverbs 18:17-21 Easy-to-Read Version
17 The first person to speak always seems right until someone comes and asks the right questions.
18 The best way to settle an argument between two powerful people may be to use lots.
19 An insulted brother is harder to win back than a city with strong walls. Arguments separate people like the strong bars of a palace gate.
20 Your words can be as satisfying as fruit, as pleasing as the food that fills your stomach.
21 The tongue can speak words that bring life or death. Those who love to talk must be ready to accept what it brings.
Matthew 12:33-37 Easy-to-Read Version
What You Do(say) Shows What You Are
33 “If you want good fruit, you must make the tree good. If your tree is not good, it will have bad fruit. A tree is known by the kind of fruit it produces. 34 You snakes! You are so evil. How can you say anything good? What people say with their mouths comes from what fills their hearts. 35 Those who are good have good things saved in their hearts. That’s why they say good things. But those who are evil have hearts full of evil, and that’s why they say things that are evil. 36 I tell you that everyone will have to answer for all the careless things they have said. This will happen on the day of judgment. 37 Your words will be used to judge you. What you have said will show whether you are right or whether you are guilty.”
Our taming the tongue is vital so we don’t stumble, experience unnecessary relationship damage, or get pushed off the course that God set for our lives.
Indeed, what comes out of our mouths in an absent-minded moment can cause severe, irreparable damage.
Our “oops” words can have unintended consequences: weakening our marriage relationship, creating division between friends and distrust among colleagues, and alienating our children. They can cost us our jobs, our reputations, and our families and our homes, untold opportunities to keep ourselves out of prison.
What comes out of our mouth can cause us to experience a lifetime of regret, especially if they are so severe, knock us off the course God has for our lives.
In other words, our lives follow the direction of our words.
If we are always saying things like: I’ll never…I can’t…my life is over…I won’t recover…I don’t get any breaks…
Don’t be surprised if that is exactly how your life turns out!
Just as absent-minded words spoken to others can damage the course of that relationship, what we continuously, constantly say about ourselves and our lives has a profound effect on our own decision making minds. And these self-imposed limiting beliefs and crippling mindsets can completely alter the course that our lives take, far away from God’s intent. Which, by the way, is amazing.
But if the masters Siegfried and Roy ultimately failed in taming their lion, well-fed, well-treated, and raised from a cub, how can we hope to master, to take control of the wildest of all wildest of beasts we have called the human tongue?
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 19 Easy-to-Read Version
To the director: A song of David.
19 The heavens tell about the glory of God.
The skies announce what his hands have made.
2 Each new day tells more of the story,
and each night reveals more and more about God’s power.[a]
3 You cannot hear them say anything.
They don’t make any sound we can hear.
4 But their message goes throughout the world.
Their teaching reaches the ends of the earth.
The sun’s tent is set up in the heavens.
5 It comes out like a happy bridegroom from his bedroom.
It begins its path across the sky
like an athlete eager to run a race.
6 It starts at one end of the sky
and runs all the way to the other end.
Nothing can hide from its heat.
7 The Lord’s teachings are perfect.
They give strength to his people.
The Lord’s rules can be trusted.
They help even the foolish become wise.
8 The Lord’s laws are right.
They make people happy.
The Lord’s commands are good.
They show people the right way to live.
9 Learning respect for the Lord is good.
It will last forever.
The Lord’s judgments are right.
They are completely fair.
10 His teachings are worth more than pure gold.
They are sweeter than the best honey dripping from the honeycomb.
11 His teachings warn his servants,
and good things come to those who obey them.
12 People cannot see their own mistakes,
so don’t let me commit secret sins.
13 Don’t let me do what I know is wrong.
Don’t let sin control me.
If you help me, I can be pure
and free from sin.
14 May my words and thoughts please you.
Lord, you are my Rock—the one who rescues me.
Psalm 139:23-24 Easy-to-Read Version
23 God, examine me and know my mind.
Test me and know all my worries.
24 Make sure that I am not going the wrong way.[a]
Lead me on the path that has always been right.[b]
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 