Tame Your Tongue 

   A story in the Talmud tells of a king who gave his jester a command, "Go out and buy the very best thing in the world." In a short time the jester was back with a package in which he had a tongue.

The king praised the jester for having chosen so wisely. "Truly," said the king, "the tongue is the best thing in the world."

Before the jester left, the king gave him a second assignment. "Now go and find the worst thing in the world." This search was also short for soon the jester returned with another package. The king unwrapped it and found a tongue.

This ancient legend supports what the Apostle James emphasizes, when he points out that we use the tongue to say the praises to God and we use it it to invoke curses upon our fellowmen. The gift of speech is both man's glory and his downfall.

Control of the tongue is one of the greatest necessities in the Christian life. There is no finer test of true Christianity than the ability to control the tongue. "the tongue is a fire." says James, "the world of iniquity among our members is the tongue, which defiles the whole body." The tongue of criticism and gossip has ruined more lives, churches, band family relationship than anything else.

The tremendous destruction through rumor, gossip, half truth, and evil speaking can hardly be overemphasized. James uses the picture of a great fire, started by a spark, to show the awful effects of an evil tongue.

A little word dropped carelessly is like a lighted match. A thoughtless remark can start a big fire. A tiny expression of malice can begin a huge argument. A huge stack of timber can be set ablaze by the tiniest spark.

With the tongue wars begin, reputations are destroyed, and wounds are made which are hard to heal. The scripture says that if we cannot control our tongue's we will never be able to control the rest of our body or life. We start with the tongue and putting a bridle on the tongue we control the whole body.

If we put bits into horses' mouth to make them obey our will, we can direct their whole body. Or think of ships, says James. They are very large and driven by strong gales, yet they are directed by a tiny rudder. So with the tongue.

Further the tongue carries the venom which kills. Words kill. They kill love, once bright and true. They kill joy, peace, and trust. They kill ambition and a good name.

To learn another example from nature look at a spring of water. Does a spring gush forth both fresh and brackish water from the same opening? It's either going to be one or the other. Therefore, we should not think we can sprout forth from the same tongue words that are both foul and clean, hateful and kind, false and true, salty and fresh.

So the scripture recognizes the tongue as a terrible instrument for good or evil. For it to be good that which control it needs to be corrected. Everything that is in the heart of man comes out rapidly. The tongue must be tamed, controlled. For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. Again, James says--"For every kind of beast, 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 God who can tame our tongue.