the power of my words...

now james continues in chapter 3 verse 1(ms), don't be in any rush to become a teacher, my friends.

now some want so much to be teachers. they want that feeling of people honoring them and placing them in such high esteem. but here is the problem teaching is highly responsible work. and teachers are held to the strictest standards. it is because of the power of words.

verse 2 (ms), and none of us is perfectly qualified. we get it wrong nearly every time we open our mouths. if you could find someone whose speech was perfectly true, you'd have a perfect person, in perfect control of life.

have you ever gone to the doctor and the first thing he asks you is to stick out your tongue? your tongue reveals what's going on inside of you, not just physically but spiritually. we all have the natural ability to say the wrong thing it seems all the time. our mouths get us into trouble and james says, if you can control your mouth, you're perfect. now he's not talking about sinless. the word "perfect" here in the greek literally means "mature, healthy."

now james talks more about the tongue than anybody else in the new testament. and he says it is very important for us to watch what we say. now why is it so important to watch what i say?

well for one because what i say directs where i go.

let me ask you, where are you headed in life? where are you going to be in ten years? your conversation answers those questions. what do you like to talk about? what do you talk about the most? we shape our words and then our words shape us.

james says, the tongue is small, it's tiny and because it is tiny we think it is insignificant but it has tremendous power.

verse 3 (ms), a bit in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. here is a huge 2,000-3,000 pound stallion, and a 95 pound jockey on his back but the 95 pound jockey can control that powerful animal by a little piece of metal stuck purposefully over his tongue. and your tongue controls the direction of your life wherever you want to go. a little bit of a word or a phrase can influence the total direction of your life.

then verse 4 (ms), a small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds. the queen mary has three acres of recreational space. the anchor is equal to the weight of ten cars yet a relatively small rudder directs the huge ocean liner out in the middle of the waves and winds and seas. a little rudder keeps it on course.

and just like that bit and rudder, 4b (ms), a word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything.

if you don't like the way you're headed right now, change the way you talk. james says my tongue directs where i go, so i've got to learn to control it.

just some thoughts here on my front porch…