A friend of mine shared an illustration with me that she used to teach her young
daughter a valuable life lesson. Her daughter was struggling to control her tongue and it
was causing problems with her friends. So, she took a tube of toothpaste and smeared
some on the bathroom counter. Then, she asked her daughter to try and put the
toothpaste back into the tube. Frustrated and confused, her daughter exclaimed, “I
can’t! It won’t go back in!” My friend explained to her daughter that the toothpaste
represented her words and that, once they were spoken, there was no taking them
back, no matter how hard you try.
As I was listening to my friend tell this story, I could not help but think of the
spiritual application that this illustration provides. Once we allow words to be uttered
from our mouths, there is no way to undo the potential damage that they may cause.
James chapter 3 provides a sobering reminder for us in regards to the use of our
tongues. James 3:6 says “And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue
among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of
nature; and it is set on fire of hell.” Although our tongue is a little member, it can yield
much evil; including tearing apart families, friendships, and even congregations
(Proverbs 26:20–28).
When we consider the severity of the damage that our tongues can cause, the
need for us to train our tongues becomes apparent. James 3:7-8 explains “For every
kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea is tamed, and hath
been tamed of mankind. But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of
deadly poison.” For those of you who don’t know, I have two dogs at home. They are
both old enough now to be potty trained. Because they have been trained with
consistency, I no longer have to think twice or worry about them having accidents in the
house. But my tongue, on the other hand, will never be fully tamed. There will never
come a time when I can say that my tongue is under full submission. I will always have
to make provisions for it. Although we may never be able to tame our tongue, there is
one thing that we can do--learn to train our tongue.
With this understanding, let us consider how we should go about training our
tongue. First, we must purify our hearts, for we know that out of it are the issues of life
(Proverbs 4:23). Jesus taught that what proceeds from our mouth comes directly from
the heart (Matthew 15:18). Second, we should let our speech be always seasoned with
salt (Colossians 4:6). May we never forget that we are the salt of the earth. If we allow
our speech to become tainted to sound like the rest of the world, then we have lost our
savor (Matthew 5:13). Third, we should focus on utilizing our tongue for those things
which are righteous. This would include: evangelism (Matthew 28:19–20), teaching
our children about Christ (Deuteronomy 6:7), singing songs of praise (Ephesians 5:19), praying (1 Thessalonians 5:17), edifying the brethren (Ephesians 4: 29), among
many others.
As we read in James 3:8, this will be a continual work in progress for us. Our
gracious and forgiving Father in Heaven understands this. Therefore, we should be
diligent in our efforts to train our tongues and strive to maintain our salty savor in all that
we say.
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