James 3v8 ^“ … but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil full of deadly poison”

We are not looking at this passage until a few weeks time on a Sunday, but it seems to be very appropriate in terms of the what is being highlighted in politics on both sides of the Atlantic.

James does not mince his words. In the surrounding section he likens the tongue to a small rudder directing a huge ship or a small spark igniting a vast forest. He highlights 4 things about the tongue:

–          It is the most difficult part of a person to control – only the perfect can! (v2)

–          It can corrupt the whole person and can direct their life into difficulty (v6)

–          No person can tame it (v8)

–          It can produce both wholesome talk/praise and evil/cursing (v10)

So what to do about it? James identifies two types of wisdom which influence the tongue:

–          Worldly wisdom (v14-16) which is “earthly, unspiritual, of the devil”. This consists of bitter envy and selfish ambition, and leads to “disorder and every evil practice”, or

–          Heavenly wisdom (v13,17-18) which is “humble, from heaven”. This is pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere, and it leads to a “harvest of righteousness”.

Whatever your political views, this is a time to stand out as the children of God with heavenly wisdom!

May we and our leaders have tongues filled with heavenly wisdom!

With much blessing,

Roland