Daily Devotional for Friday, March 15

Incorrigibility of the Tongue

“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,” James 3:7, 8.

First Corinthians 9:27 states, “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” The apostle Paul had a deep conviction that his self-control (or the lack thereof) would directly impact the effectiveness of his ministry to the lost. Paul also understood the consistent discipline required to bring his behavior into subjection.

Our key verses also paint an accurate picture that the tongue is more difficult to train than a wild beast. Soon after this writing, a “bonus” family member of mine will be marrying into a family of bear trainers. In fact, most of the bears you see in any movie or commercial are under their care. I would not even attempt to come within attack range of these massive beasts, let alone interact so closely as to train them. It is very difficult to trust such a powerful creature that could kill you. James reveals to us that these mighty creations of God are more easily trained than the wild beast that is our tongue.

Between the inspired writings of James and Paul, we begin to grasp the required work of self-discipline and submission to God which is required if we are going to tame our tongues for His glory. Taming our tongues begins with training our hearts to God through personal devotion and prayer. Then, we must strive to practice self-control throughout our day as our sinful thoughts tempt us to speak sinful words. With every victory over sinful thoughts and speech, we will find it easier to continue in taming our tongues. This consistent training will yield a harvest of spiritual growth unlike any other personal discipline.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY
Taming our tongues may be the most difficult spiritual discipline we will ever undertake. Yet, the reward of spiritual growth may be immeasurably great.

Steven Ridings