"A restless evil, full of deadly poison"
Ayyyyhhhh, James hurts. Yes, I mean the book of James. Put it together with John Stott and you have some inescapable challenges to take this whole issue of the tongue (pun intended) seriously.
Listen to this, but read all of Chapter 3 for full effect:
“…but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so.” James 3:8-10
When I read that verse, I usually focus on the “restless evil, full of deadly poison.” But on this reading, the Holy Spirit (and John Stott) led me to focus on the illogic of praising God while cursing people made in the image of God!!! Ayyyhhhh…Guilty as charged. Here is what Stott says…
“We look around at our brothers and sisters, whether in the human family or in the family of God, and think nothing of defaming, denigrating, criticizing, making the sly innuendo, yet they bear the image of God [my emphasis]. We think of Jesus and count it a shame if his glory is despised or his name used dishonorably; we write to the papers to complain of blasphemy on the radio or television. But the same glorious image of God in other people we hardly think of and rarely hesitate to speak ill of.” John Stott, Commentary on James
James says, “THIS OUGHT NOT TO BE SO.” I know we’ve about reached the limit of what you have time to read and digest today, but this topic bears further discussion, so to be continued tomorrow.
Here’s my personal prayer on tongue-taming. Perhaps you will share this thought:
Holy God, Lord Jesus, Empowering Spirit, you know my tongue is wild and uncontrollable, guilty of casually defaming and denigrating your image. I’d really prefer to tape my tongue with duct tape to prevent the heinous harm it does. But you don’t seem to work that way. You created my words to bless, and you want to transform me more and more into the likeness of Jesus, so you don’t make an easy way out. Give me a heartbeat for you that guides my tongue to bless rather than curse. When I speak harmful words, make me quickly aware, and draw my heart to repentance and wag my tongue to confess that you alone are the Lord who redeems me. In you alone do I hope for the cure for my tongue-disease. Thank you for caring so deeply about me that you draw me to wrestle in this area of my life. In your powerful name, I pray. So Very Amen.
