1 Not many of you should become 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 control his whole body. 3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can guide the whole animal. 4 Consider ships as well. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot is inclined. 5 In the same way, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it boasts of great things. Consider how small a spark sets a great forest ablaze. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of wickedness among the parts of the body. It pollutes the whole person, sets the 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 bless 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 blessing 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 grow olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. REFLECTIONSWritten by Paul Bogg I’ll let you in on a secret of mine. Well, it’s not really a secret, but something I learned a few years ago that I consider a bit of a superpower. Ready to hear it? Here it is: I try not to speak. That’s it, that’s my little superpower: not speaking. It has everything to do with today’s passage, so I’ll try to explain why. According to James, even though the tongue is a small part of the body, it can boast of great things. It’s like a ‘fire’, can set the course of an entire life on fire, and it itself is set on fire by hell. Stop and think about that for a second – my tongue, my words, my utterances have destructive power. That’s an amazingly scary thought! So how do I deal with that? Well, I try not to speak. And in my life, it has been really helpful. My friendships seem to work better, it’s easier to do my job, my wife seems happier with me, and it gives space for my kids to open up. But the passage today doesn’t tell me to totally stop talking – actually, James is urging something more significant than that. He says: “With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father”; and we who have been made in God’s likeness should be blessing our fellow brothers and sisters. In fact, we who are being transformed by the Holy Spirit into the likeness of our Lord should naturally be uttering God-glorifying words. So for me, I can't really stop at not talking – I need to be thinking about how my words can be useful for glorifying God. To set my tongue to building people up, not tearing them down. It’s very much a work in progress for me, and there are still plenty of times when I fail at it, and when I just think it’s better that I don’t speak. How have you been going with your words? Is there anything you need to repent of? Is there anything that you might need to work on this week – like choosing not to speak, or choosing to speak words that bless when you feel the urge to use different words? Please pray with me towards this – we all need God’s help. ABOUT THE AUTHORPaul is a member of our Bossley Park morning congregation.
