James 3

The Tongue

 
 

Our tongues are an amazing creation. God has given them to use to use for good. However, it requires the grace of God and a great deal of self discipline to bridle the tongue. It is only a very small part of our body, but it can control the eternal destiny of our soul. On the Judgment Day, we will be judged, in part, by what we have said. James describes all the evil that it can do if it is not controlled. He then describes the necessity of controlling it, but that is something that cannot be done without the help of God. Many wild animals have been tamed, but our tongues cannot be tamed with those techniques. It requires the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the grace of God. Our tongues can be used for much good, and if we allow the Holy Spirit to control our speech, we will be useful to God and His kingdom. He also warns us to be consistent in our speech. We bless God. We should not curse men. We need to guard our speech carefully no matter who we are with or what situation we are in.

 
 

Wisdom

 
 

James begins this discourse by establishing how a man must show himself wise. He must show a good conversation (manner of life)with meekness of wisdom. True wisdom is not proud and boastful. It is meek and mild. It does not spar with others or argue continuously. Wise men get their wisdom from heaven not from earth. I wise person is easy to get along with. He will not make you feel inferior if you are not as wise as he. He will be willing to listen and learn more. He is peaceful and sows righteousness. He will be blessed with a great harvest of good things.