“But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:8).
At times, you will say something that you wish you hadn’t. There is a saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” This isn’t true. Physically, sticks and stones can hurt you if someone throws them at you, but you will probably recover from the injury. Emotionally, when someone says hurtful words, recovery isn’t as easy. You may be able to forgive—this is what God wants you to do—but forgetting is almost impossible. No matter how old you get, at times you will remember how you felt when someone hurt you with their words or by their actions.
We are taught in James 3 how our tongues can harm others. (We use our tongues to speak, so “tongues” here means “words.”) Sometimes you may intentionally want to say something against another person because you are angry and you want to get even. This is a time when you must decide to be a godly example and say nothing.
Today make sure that what you say does not harm someone. You are the only one who has control over your tongue.
My response:
» Do I ask God to help me control my tongue?
» How can I use my tongue to build others up instead up tearing them down?
» When someone says something hurtful to me, do I pray for the person and for myself so that I don’t say something hurtful in return?