it really tells it like it is...

james 3.7&8 (ms), this is scary: you can tame a tiger, but you can't tame a tongue—it's never been done. the tongue runs wild, a wanton killer.

it really is scary. the potential in our tongues. of all the animals we've tamed, no man can tame the tongue, humanly speaking (only GOD can). he says it's restless. that means it's always liable to break out at any moment.

it's like poison. the word in greek is literally "snake venom". just a few drops can kill. you can assassinate somebody with your words. assassinate their character. the tongue is a deadly weapon.

if you saw the movie atonement you understand the power of the tongue.

it also is important to understand that what i say tells what i am. james 3.9&10 (ms), with our tongues we bless GOD our FATHER; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women HE made in his image. curses and blessings out of the same mouth!

we say these things out of the same mouth. we come to church on sunday. the highest use of your mouth is to use it to praise GOD. we sing praises to the LORD, then we walk out, get in our car and on the way home we argue about where we are going for lunch.

isn't it amazing how quickly your attitude changes? in one minute you're saying, "praise the LORD," the next you're saying, "shut up!" the tongue is a strange contradiction. it's so inconsistent. one minute we're praising GOD and the next cursing other people.

now cursing here doesn't necessarily mean profanity. it means any kind of put down, label. ("you're good for nothing…you'll never amount to anything…you're just like…") any kind of put down is a curse. he says, "why curse men? they're made in GOD’s image."

now this bothers me immensely. i think how it is possible that we can be loving to people we love – our kids, wives, husbands – and the next moment be harsh, cold, mean to them? how is it possible? how is it possible in one minute to be talking to my kids in gentle, loving tones and the next minute i'm being mean to them? i hurt them. i am saying things that damage their self-esteem.

do you struggle with an inconsistent tongue? james says we all have it. we speak lovingly in one breath and then lash out in the next. what gives? what's the problem? why do we do that? why can we genuinely mean something in love and kindness one minute and then genuinely mean something in hate the next minute?

the bible tells it like it is. we really do need GOD don’t we?

just some thoughts up here on the front porch…