Taming the Tongue

Have you ever said something that you wish you had not said? Have you ever remained silent when you should have spoken?

In chapter 3 of his epistle, James gives us some very direct warnings about the power of the tongue. Perhaps you are familiar with his description. It is like a bit in a horse’s mouth. It is like the helm of a great ship. It is like the small flame that kindles the fire that burns down a city. It is set on fire of hell! The tongue is impossible to tame. It is full of deadly poison. It is unreliable, first speaking good and then evil.

At the beginning of this chapter, we find a startling statement. “If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body” (James 3:2). If you are wondering how difficult it will be to bring the tongue under control, every other member of the body is easier to command. James is basically saying that if you can control your tongue, you can control the rest of your body.if you can control your tongue, you can control the rest of your body.

Think of it! If you can control your tongue, you can break an addiction to alcohol. If you can control your tongue, you can put away drugs. If you can quit gossiping, you can definitely quit smoking cigarettes. Perhaps you are struggling with some addiction as you read this article. No matter how difficult your struggle, it would be less difficult than controlling your tongue. Perhaps you would say that you have no addictions in your life. Then the question remains, have you conquered the tongue?

How can we tame the tongue?

Consider what Jesus said to the most religious people of His day, “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Matthew 12:34). Our lips bring forth the fruit of our thoughts. Therefore, if we are going to tame the tongue, then we must control the mind.

Philippians 4:8 gives us a prescription for good thinking. “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” If we follow this prescription, our words will definitely be more pleasing to the Lord.

We must think on things that are:

True This requirement rules out much of what is freely spoken. We are so quick to repeat things when we are not even sure if what we are saying is true.

Honest We love to talk about dishonest things that others have done. Once again, the body of allowable thought material is greatly reduced.

Just How many times have you and I heard someone say, “That’s not fair!”? How many times have we said it ourselves? It may indeed be unfair, but if it is, it is something that we simply should not be thinking about.

Pure What an impure society we live in! Under this requirement, many minds and mouths could be completely reprogrammed. If it isn’t pure, don’t think about it, and don’t talk about it.
Lovely This word is used here in the same sense in which we might use the word amiable. This would prevent us from stewing over arguments in our minds and from participating in petty quarrels with our lips.

Of Good ReportThis requirement would likely put the news agencies out of business—and the gossips, too. Somehow, we just must know all the bad news that is available as soon as possible. If we feed this insatiable desire, we will soon find our mouths raging out of control.
VirtuousPerhaps it would be good to set aside time to ponder virtuous things. Perhaps we should choose a specific virtue each day and think of it throughout the day. We could look for people who are displaying these virtues, and that would help us follow the next guideline.

Praiseworthy Let us fill our minds with praiseworthy virtues and deeds of others. The Bible is filled with examples of people who did right when they were placed under pressure. Thinking of Joseph, Daniel, the Apostle Paul, and others will encourage us to follow their examples. As we look for praiseworthy actions of those around us, it will help us to speak out in praise of others who are doing right.

Will we ever totally tame the tongue? It is not likely that we will completely conquer this deadly evil in our mortal bodies, but if we follow the prescription that God gives us, we are sure to have more success.

Wicksteed Park

The Park's beginnings can be traced back to 1913 when Charles Wicksteed purchased a tract of Northamptonshire meadowland near Kettering with the intention of developing a model village.

He wanted to create an open space and safe parkland for local families - many of these families lived in homes with no gardens - which forced their children to play in the street.Charles Wicksteed also owned an engineering company and started to supply park seats and playground equipment to public parks far and wide. This company today still provides this equipment and can be found in many such parks across Europe with some of the products in Wicksteed Park.

www.wicksteedpark.co.uk

DUST OR LIQUID?

God said to Adam, “…dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return” (Genesis 3:19). However, now you may avoid the “dust” at death by having your remains liquefied. There was a report about a new option of “dissolving a body in lye and high heat and pouring the remains down the drain. The method, which is known as alkaline hydrolysis, involves placing a dead body in a steel container with the caustic chemical lye. The vat is then heated and pressurized so that human remains boil down to a brown, sterile fluid the consistency of motor oil. These remains can then be safely disposed of in public sewerage systems.” This gives new meaning to the Roto-Rooter jingle: “Roto-Rooter, that's the name; and away go my troubles down the drain!”

Advocates point out that it is more environmentally friendly than burial, which takes up needed land, and cremation, which can pollute the air with toxic chemicals from items such as dental fillings.

However, man cannot completely outsmart what God said to Adam in Genesis 3:19. After liquefying the cadaver, there’s a small amount of dry bone residue (dust) remaining from the body, which can be handed over to family in an urn.

Ashes to ashes… Dust to dust.