Tongue Management

     I want to share something a little different with you today. I have been writing for several weeks now on time management but today I’m going to write about tongue management. James 3:2 says, “For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is perfect man, able to bridle his whole body.” James tells us in the following verses just how important it is to get a handle on the way we use our tongues. The real point James is trying to make however is that the heart is the issue. Jesus even said, “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” The tongue is merely the tattle-tale of the heart. If you want to find out what your heart is like, look at what you’ve been saying lately.

     It has been said that the average person says enough words in a given day to compose a small paperback of about 150 pages. What would it be like to read your last couple week’s worth of paperbacks? How would you feel about reading them yourself? All of us have said things that we wished we hadn’t or at least would’ve said differently. Even James, the apostle, the Lord’s half-brother includes himself among us as one who slips up in what he says. Notice he wrote with the first person plural “we all stumble…” Let me encourage you to not be discouraged about slipping up in what you say. James is not saying we should be perfect in our use of the tongue for he says that this kind of person is able to control his whole body. In other words, if a person can master the hard level, he can certainly handle the easy one. A certified surgeon can remove a splinter with no problem. A professional basketball player should be able to hit a layup with ease. So the one who masters the tongue has it all together. What James is challenging all of us with in regard to our tongue is not perfection but progression. It is not about being perfect but making progress. To be true, James would even say that a mark of maturity is admitting that you aren’t perfect . The tongue is a powerful instrument able to do a lot of damage or bring a lot of delight. In trying to get a grip on it, look for progress, not perfection.          

 -Pastor Matt