tongue-depressor?
"If a man who does not control his tongue imagines that he is devout, he is self-deceived; his worship is pointless." —James 1:26
"All of us fall short in many respects. If a person is without fault in speech, he is a man in the fullest sense, because he can control his entire body" (Jas 3:2). However, "the tongue no man can tame. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison" (Jas 3:8). Nevertheless, God can do the impossible. The Holy Spirit, Who appeared with tongues of fire (Acts 2:3), can control the tongue.
We let the Spirit control our tongues if we:
- are slow to speak, especially in anger (Jas 1:19),
- usually speak few words (Prv 10:19),
- "say only the good things men need to hear, things that will really help them" (Eph 4:29),
- refuse to be silent, when we should speak up for Jesus (see Acts 4:19-20),
- "profess the truth in love" (Eph 4:15),
- warn the wicked man (Ez 3:18), and
- use our tongues to praise the Lord (see Acts 2:4).
Let us give the Lord our hearts. Then our tongues will be controlled by Him, for we speak from the abundance of our hearts (Lk 6:45).
Prayer: Father, make my tongue a weapon for righteousness, not evil (Rm 6:13).
Promise: "He saw perfectly; his sight was restored and he could see everything clearly." —Mk 8:25
Praise: Roger has learned to say a "Hail Mary" when faced with a person who agitates him.
Reference: (For a related teaching, order our tape Arrogance on audio AV 52-1 or video V-52.)
Rescript: †Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, July 29, 2011
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