25 November | Youth
«But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.» James 3:8
There is no denying the power of our tongue and words. With them, we can do good or bad, depending on how we use them. The tongue is the organ of the body related to speech. In the Bible, it is often used as a metaphor for words. It is also considered one of the strongest muscles in the human body. The person who can master it has self-control.
The million-dollar question is, “Who can master the tongue?” For many people, controlling wild and ferocious animals is much easier than controlling this small organ (James 3:7).
The apostle James suggests that we misuse the tongue when we allow it to play a dual role in the struggle between good and evil. One moment it pleases God; and in another, the enemy; one moment it is at the service of good and, at another, it practices the works of darkness.
The apostle says: “With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so” (James 3:9, 10). Words have the power to produce life or death. As Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, words can be killers.
Ellen White lamented: “It pains me to say that there are unruly tongues among church members. There are false tongues that feed on mischief. There are sly, whispering tongues.
There is tattling, impertinent meddling, adroit quizzing. Among the lovers of gossip some are actuated by curiosity, others by jealousy, many by hatred against those through whom God has spoken to reprove them. All these discordant elements are at work. Some conceal their real sentiments, while others are eager to publish all they know, or even suspect, of evil against another” (Ellen G. White, Counsels for the Church, p. 176).
How have you been using this muscle that is so important and, at the same time, so dangerous? Have you used it to bless or to curse? Has your tongue been an instrument to help or to hurt people? Why not use it to praise God and spread hope? If you do this, you will benefit the most.