Good morning! Wow, the book of James is so revealing to our characters. He consistently reminds us of what a mature or maturing believer should be like, look like, and sound like on our journey with Christ. Join me as we continue our reading in James chapter three.

Bible Verse – James 3:6-12 NLT

“⁶ And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.^[b]

⁷ People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, ⁸ but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. ⁹ Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. ¹⁰ And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! ¹¹ Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? ¹² Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.^[c]

Reflection

James continues to warn believers about the dangers of the tongue. In concise words, the tongue is perverse and polluted. The tongue is described as a fire that can inflame every part of the body and it will set everything around it on fire. That is why it is so important to guard your thoughts and your tongue.

Do you recall a time when you said something without pausing or filtering your response through the Word of God or with discernment? Did it create a fire – did the discussion get heated? Well, this is the type of thing James is warning believers about.

Praise and cursing coming from a believer’s mouth should not be. The Sunday conversation verses the Wednesday conversation should be consistent. A maturing or mature believer should be consistently working toward this… While we won’t be perfect until the day we see Jesus face-to-face, we are called to keep working towards maturing in these areas.

He reminds us that the tongue should be controlled, tamed, and consistently cleaned. The way to a tamed tongue is meditating on the Word of God and applying action in our speech and what we text.

James 1:19 NLT reminds us, “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.”

May God help us all in this area of our lives. May He catch our thoughts, correct us, and place His hand on our tongues as a filter when we speak to or text others.

Prayer

Father God, thank you for another day. Thank you for the wisdom and discernment that you give freely. Lord, forgive us for the times when we have allowed our hearts and thoughts to flow uncontrolled through our tongues. Lord, forgive us when we set things on fire and ruined families, relationships, and homes. Lord, help us to do better. Help us to surrender our hearts, thoughts, and our tongues to you. Lord, help us to establish life boundaries that will help prevent situations where we lose control. Help us to grow in areas where boundaries are difficult, but there are triggers that create an atmosphere where an uncontrolled tongue would unleash. Lord, we want to be better and do better. Help us to lean on you as you guide us to gain more self-control.

Lord, continue to place your hand on the children who started school, and be with those who are starting school today. Lord, keep them safe. Bless their school year. Surround them with good influences. Guide their teachers and give them discernment. Keep the school campuses safe and free of violence.

Lord, continue to heal those who are in the hospital, those who are recovering, those who have been diagnosed with an illness, and those who are in need of miraculous healing. Lord, continue to do your mighty work as we continue to faithfully trust you. In Jesus’ name we pray all these things, amen.

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