Tamed Tongue

"For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race.  But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.  With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing, My brethren, these things ought not to be this way." -James 3:7-10 (NASB)

As a kid we may have heard, "Sticks and stones will break your bones, but names will never hurt you."  While words may not bring physical harm, they can hurt.  The wounds caused by words can sometimes take longer to heal than physical wounds.  Because of this, we need to be extra careful about what we say and try to tame our tongues!

Humans have been successful at taming many creatures, but we often struggle with taming our tongue.  Sometimes words can slip out before we take time to think, but it is possible to work and train our tongues.  Just like it takes patience and work to tame or train an animal, taming our tongues will take time and patience.  Fortunately, we can turn to God for help in developing an attitude of love and a loving tongue.

Take the time to tame your tongue and speak loving and encouraging words inspired by God!

Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for loving me.  Help me to hold Your love in my heart and help Your love to show through what I do and what I say.  In Jesus' name I pray, amen.