7All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
9With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. (James 3)
Thoughts: What we say, and how we say it is important. We all fail in the use of our tongue. No one- no one- has learned how to tame the tongue. The tongue- our speech- is a real problem. One minute we praise God with our tongues and the next we slander or gossip about another. The tongue should be pure but it is not- and that is because it comes right from the heart. The heart is deceitful and so is the tongue. Women speak an average of 20,000 words while men speak 7,000. Our words are meant to speak the truth in love and to encourage and sharpen- not tear down or destroy others.
Prayer: Lord, I have wronged others and you with my words. I cannot put these words back, but you can erase the pain. Forgive me, and help me to speak words that build others up- not tear them down.
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