As a child, walking behind my mother at the grocery store, we came near the meat section of the store. While mom was deciding on the best, possible buy for a roast for Sunday’s meal, which always took awhile in kid-time, I explored and peered over the glass refrigerated case and saw something I had never seen before. 

A huge tongue was wrapped in see-through plastic right in front of me at eye level! Loudly, I’m sure, I yelled to mom, “WHAT IS THAT!?”. She turned quickly from bargain shopping and ran to where I was…because the whole store probably heard it. The butcher heard me. She calmly said, “Oh, that is just a cow’s tongue.” “What is it doing with the meat?” I yelled. “Shh!, people cut it up and eat it. Some people grind it and have it on sandwiches.” I almost threw up. That was the most disgusting new information I had ever come across in my short life. “Well, I will never put that disgusting tongue in my mouth!” “EVER!”

Well, this morning, Pastor James comes along and reminds us just how disgusting our own tongues can be! They can build up…or destroy. Harsh but needed words. God used James to get our attention about how our tongues can maim others and take our focus from God’s purpose for us. 

“Stick and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”. Remember that playground taunt? Not true. Sometimes we go to the grave with the memory of hurtful words. 

This is long, bold, and to the point…and reminds teachers at the beginning of this passage to be careful with their words as they are held accountable to those they teach for what comes from their mouths…what a responsibility we have!

“Don’t be in any rush to become a teacher my friends. Teaching is highly responsible work. Teachers are held to the strictest standards. And none of us are 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.” James 3, Msg

“A bit in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds. A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything–or destroy it!” James 3, Msg

“It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell.” James 3, Msg

“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. 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!” James 3, Msg

“My friends, this can’t go on. A spring doesn’t’ gush fresh water one day and brackish the next, does it? Apple trees don’t bear strawberries, do they? Raspberry bushes don’t bear apples, do they? You’re not going to dip into a polluted mud hoe and get a cup of clear, cool water, are you?” James 3, Msg

One more example, that I have experienced….since this is Monday…don’t amen the preacher’s words on Sunday then talk badly to others about the work he is doing and rag on his family the rest of the week. Yes, gossip like that reeks havoc and destroys. (Mostly it reeks.) Build each other up. Encourage each other…as Paul writes many times…with sweet words, even hymns sung over them…as they work hard at the work before us all. We are actually all ministers of God”s Good News of salvation and abundant living. 

Dear Heavenly Father, Please help us. We are all guilty. Our tongues are not fit to be in our mouths at times. Help us to THINK…before we speak! And ask ourselves before we speak…Is what I am about to say Truth? Going to be Helpful to the person? Inspiring to their work? Necessary to say? And most of all is what I am about to say going to be Kind? THINK…Truth, Helpful, Inspiring, Necessary and Kind. Help us all, dear Lord. Seriously.
In Jesus Name, Amen