Scripture taken from the New King James
Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights
reserved.
3 My brethren,
let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter
judgment. 2 For we all stumble in many things. If
anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man,
able also to bridle the whole body.3 Indeed, we put bits in
horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. 4 Look also at ships: although they are
so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder
wherever the pilot desires. 5 Even so the tongue is a little member and
boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world
of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole
body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of
reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. 8 But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil,
full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our God and Father,
and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing
and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter
from the same opening? 12 Can a fig
tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields
both salt water and fresh. 13 Who is wise and
understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the
meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and
self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from
above, but is earthly,
sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy
and self-seeking exist, confusion and
every evil thing are there. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is
first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good
fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown
in peace by those who make peace.
James 2:1, (NKJV)
2 My brethren, do
not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with
partiality.
Psalm 32:9, (NKJV)
9 Do not be like the horse or like the
mule,
Which have no understanding,
Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle,
Else they will not come near you.
Which have no understanding,
Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle,
Else they will not come near you.
Psalm 140:3, (NKJV)
3 They sharpen their tongues like a serpent;
The poison of asps is under their lips. Selah
The poison of asps is under their lips. Selah
Proverbs 12:18, (NKJV)
18 There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword,
But the tongue of the wise promotes health.
But the tongue of the wise promotes health.
Proverbs 15:2, (NKJV)
2 The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly,
But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.
But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.
Proverbs 16:27, (NKJV)
27 An ungodly man digs up evil,
And it is on his lips like a burning fire.
And it is on his lips like a burning fire.
Proverbs 11:18, (NKJV)
18 The wicked man does
deceptive work,
But he who sows righteousness will have a sure reward.
But he who sows righteousness will have a sure reward.
Genesis 1:26-27, (NKJV)
26 Then God said,
“Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have
dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the
cattle, over all the earth and
over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in
His own image; in the image of God He created
him; male and female He created them.
Genesis 5:1, (NKJV)
5 This is the
book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in
the likeness of God.
Genesis 9:6, (NKJV)
6 “Whoever sheds man’s blood, By
man his blood shall be shed;
For in the image of God He made man.
For in the image of God He made man.
Matthew 7:16-20, (NKJV)
16 You will know them by
their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good
fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good
fruit. 19 Every tree that does
not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know
them.
Philippians 3:19, (NKJV)
19 whose end is destruction,
whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their
shame—who set their mind on earthly things.
1 Corinthians 3:3, (NKJV)
3 for you are
still carnal. For where there are envy, strife,
and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?
Galatians 6:8, (NKJV)
8 For he who sows
to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit
will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
My comments: This passage of James speaks so loud to my
heart. My tongue has always been the hardest part of my body for me to control.
Yet I have always understood that it controls the rest of my behaviors. Out of
the heart the mouth speaks the Bible tells us and when I think on that I am
dismayed to know that my heart is so far from what God has made me in His image
to be. Maybe you like me struggle to tame your mouth and keep your heart
focused on what God wants you to be.
Do not give in to the evil one and listen to his
condemnation. Rather look to the Lord Jesus and He will guide you. If you are
His then He will never tell you that You are worthless because loved ones He
died for us and we are worth everything. We are priceless in His eyes. Yet I
seek to glorify Him with my mouth and my heart. I seek to make my conversation
pleasing to Him and glorifying of Him. I look back to when I tried to do it on
my own.
Before I was Born Again and truly following Jesus; Before I
gave my life to Him; Before I knew that works do not save one; Before I lived
my life to glorify Him; those were the years I had tried to do things to be good.
Unfortunately I understood an unbiblical salvation. I thought because I had
been Baptized as an infant that I was saved. I was not of course as that is no
in the Bible anywhere. It is a tradition of man using his power to pervert the
knowledge of God. I would go to confession and had this list of things I was
doing that I did not want to keep doing and the Priest would absolve me and I
would keep doing them no matter how hard I tried, prayed or ….. Well, you get
the idea. It was so frustrating and unproductive and I did not grow. At least I
knew I did not grow. Most people thought of me as a good person. Yet being a good person does not get one into
Heaven.
Yes, we confess our sin to God against whom we have all
sinned no matter how good we have tried to be. Accepting that Jesus died on the
Cross for our sin, rose again from the dead on the third day and is seated on
the right hand of the Father. That Jesus and the Father are one with the Holy
Spirit as the third person of the Holy Trinity and giving our lives to Abba
Father through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus the Christ. Then we are Born
Again into the family of God and the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us and
He will help us to change.
Yep, He does and that is where all the lessons come in that
He will allow into our lives so we can rely on Him and He will help us to
grow. He will help us to bridle our
tongues and He will cleanse our hearts. He will show us what we need to do to
glorify the Father. After salvation we are righteous and redeemed and then our
good works show our walk with the Lord. He will give us the strength to
overcome, to go through the trials and tribulations of life with joy in our
hearts. I look at where I once was with my unbridled tongue and where the Lord
has brought me and I am gratified for His love and know I could never have done
it with out the guidance and teachings of the Holy Spirit.
God created us in His image male and female and He did not
ask of us anything that He did not ask of His Son Jesus. And when we are His we
can do all things He did if we believe , trust Him and have faith.
My tongue is changing. My heart is growing more each day to
be like my Lord Jesus. The more I am in His Word the more the Holy Spirit
teaches me His wisdom and fills me with His understanding. May it be so for you
loved ones. May it be so.
Abba Father thank You for showing us through Your Son how to
be close to You, how to be a part of Your family, how to glorify You and how to
bridle our tongues and thank You for sending Jesus to change our hearts and lives.
Thank You for Your Holy Spirit that teaches, guides and fills us with Your
understanding. Thank You for Your Word and thank You for filling us with Your
love for You and for others. May we daily come to know You more and more and
reflect You in all we think, say and do. I pray all who do not yet know You
will come to know You soon before it is too late for them. Thank You Abba
Father for loving kindness and for filling our hearts with love for You and
others. In Jesus name in union with the Holy Spirit I pray. Amen
Rebishka
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