The Tongue

The tongue is a fascinating part of our body.

Did you know:
The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.
It is the strongest muscle and holds the power of death and life according to Proverbs 18:21.
In humans, the tongue functions principally in chewing, swallowing, and speaking.
It is necessary for life- chewing and swallowing and has ended some people’s lives early by speaking rashly and extended the lives of others by soothing away a dangerous situation.
The appearance of the tongue is often an indication of body health; a pinkish-red color is normal.
The appearance of the tongue indicates body health. The use of the tongue indicates spiritual health.
Close to fifty percent of the bacteria in the mouth lives on the surface of our tongue.
The tongue holds much bacteria in our mouths and it can easily pass the bacteria of evil onto others.
Every person has a unique tongue print.
Every person’s tongue is unique and how they choose to use it also creates a unique print in the lives of others.

Our tongue is neither good nor evil. It is simply a tool to be used for speech. Psalm 45:1 describes the tongue as a pen of a ready writer. How we use our tongue determines if it is good or evil.

Why does it matter what we say? It’s just words after all, isn’t it? You know, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”

If you are of this opinion, hear the Word of the Lord on the negative power that the tongue holds:
Ps. 50:19 tongue frames deceit
Ps. 52:4 deceitful tongue loves devouring words
Ps. 78:36 tongue lied to God
Ps. 109:2 lying tongue
Pr. 6:17 one of 6 things God hates- lying tongue. Just in case putting “Thou shalt not lie” as one of the 10 Commandments wasn’t enough, God emphasizes again and again how much He despises a lying tongue. Why? For one reason, it leads to other things like:
Job 5:21 Lying tongue as a scourge- a curse, a plague, a blight, a thorn in our side
Job 20:12 Lying tongue can be used to hide evil. Every time a mass murderer is apprehended, the neighbors say, “He seemed like such a nice guy.”
Or have you ever meet a smooth talker and wondered what he was up to?
“What’s your angle?” Bing Crosby asked in White Christmas. “Everyone’s got an angle.”
Ps. 5:9; Pr. 28:23 Lying tongue used for flattery. Do you know the difference between flattery and a compliment? Sincerity. Compliments are from the heart. Flattery is from the tongue.
Ps. 10:7; Is. 59:3 Lying tongue used for mischief and to mutter wickedness.
Ps. 12:3 A lying tongue creates boastfulness- overconfidence in words. We’ve all met people who talk a good game, but when it comes to doing something, they’re really not that useful.
Ps. 52:2 Tongue devises destruction. Lies in all of its forms lead to destruction. They are the building block for ruin. Which is why Pr. 12:19 says a lying tongue doesn’t last long.
Jer. 9:3-8 tongue as a weapon (bow, arrow, lies)
Ps. 57:4, 64:3 Tongue as a sharp sword using bitter speech
Ps. 64:8 tongue can work against you
Pr. 6:24 smooth tongue of adulteress
At this point, I’ve probably motivated us all to never say another word again! While that may be a good place to start, I believe we would be falling short of God’s calling and robbing both Him and ourselves of countless blessings if we simply stopped speaking.
Although I believe we can never completely tame our tongue this side of heaven, Scripture does give us some images to motivate us in this endeavor.

The first image for taming our tongue is that of a:

Horses Bit
After doing a little research, I learned something about horse bits. All bits act with some combination of pressure and leverage. Bits are designed to work by pressure, not pain. Depending on the style of bit, pressure can be brought to bear on different parts of the mouth. Bits offer varying degrees of control and communication between rider and horse depending upon their design and on the skill of the rider. It is important that the style of bit is appropriate to the horse's needs and is fitted properly for it to function properly and be as comfortable as possible for the horse.[9]
In the wrong hands even the mildest bit can hurt the horse. Conversely, a very severe bit, in the right hands, can transmit extremely subtle, nuanced signals that cause no pain to the horse. Wikipedia
If the tongue is the bit, then we’re the horse. Who’s our rider? We can choose between Satan or God. Sorry; as much as we like our independence, we will have a rider.

In Satan’s wrong hands, even the mild things we say will result in our own tongue causing us much pain, damage, and hardship.

In the Lord’s hands however, even the least eloquent of us will be able to receive subtle and nuanced signals from our rider that, if heeded, will keep us from much stupidity and suffering.

The next image for taming our tongues is a:
Ships Rudder
On simple watercraft, a tiller -- essentially, a stick or pole acting as a lever arm -- may be attached to the top of the rudder to allow it to be turned by a helmsman. Wikipedia
If our tongue is the rudder, then that makes us the ship. So who is our helmsman? Who’s steering and guiding our speech and our path in life?

The bit and the rudder give us 2 images of steering or directing. What does it take then to keep our tongues and course and not get us into trouble?

One thing we can always do is ask God for help. Ps. 39:1 says, “Guard my ways that I may not sin with my tongue.”

Another perspective is to say, refrain from all the things I just mentioned. And there is scripture to support this:

Refrain from:

Job 27:4 Righteousness is defined as the tongue not muttering deceit.
Ps. 15:1-3 A man of integrity speaks truth, does not slander with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor.
Ps. 34:13 Keep tongue from evil
Pr. 21:23 He who guards mouth and tongue guards soul from trouble.
James describes the tongue as a fire. With so many firefighters here, fire prevention and protection might be helpful images to explore when thinking about keeping our tongue from evil.
Fire
Wildfire prevention refers to the preemptive methods of reducing the risk of fires as well as lessening its severity and spread.[111]
What can we do to lessen the severity and spread of evil speech?
Effective prevention techniques allow supervising agencies to manage air quality, maintain ecological balances, protect resources,[72] and to limit the effects of future uncontrolled fires.[112]
How can we improve the conversational quality of the environment we are in?
How are we protecting our most valuable resources of our hearts and souls?
What are we doing to limit the effects of future fire outbreaks from our tongue?

Fire protection is the study and practice of mitigating the unwanted effects of fires[1].
How are we protecting ourselves from our fiery tongues and all of its unwanted effects?
It involves the study of the behaviour, compartmentalisation, suppression and investigation of fire and its related emergencies, as well as the research and development, production, testing and application of mitigating systems. Wikipedia
Have you ever wanted to say something but held yourself back?
Did you ever say something and then ask yourself, “Why on earth did I just say that?” Did you learn from your own personal research of those experiences?

According to James, we need to keep our tongues from burning with the flames of hell.

These are hopefully some helpful thoughts for us to analyze our personal fire prevention and protection plans for our tongues, but the most important step for us is to:
Seek out the Master Fireman! Remember, only the power of Christ in you can prevent fires of the tongue!

While prevention and protection are good, it is not always helpful to our human nature to tell us what not to do. For example:

A baseball pitcher is struggling, so the coach comes to the mound. “Look kid, this is a big spot for you. This guy can’t hit the high fast ball. Just whatever you do, don’t through it low and inside. That’s his power house.” The coach walks off the mound. First pitch: Low and inside, hammered out of the park. What happened? He was told what not to do and that’s what stuck in his brain.

So what are the positive aspects of speech that we can focus on? Again, scripture gives us the answer.

Positive Tongue
Ps. 37:30 Tongue speaks justice
Pr. 12:18; 15:2 wise tongue brings healing and knowledge
Pr. 31:26 teaching of kindness

2 Sam. 23:2 The Lord’s word was on David’s tongue
Ps. 35:28; 71:24 Tongue declare righteousness and praise of the Lord
Ps. 66:17 extol God with tongue
Ps. 51:14; 119:172 tongue sings joyfully of God’s righteousness and His Word
Rom. 14:11 every tongue praise God
Phil. 2:11 every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord

To focus on these things makes for a righteous tongue which is as choice silver according to Proverbs 10:20. This righteous tongue is soothing and gentle and is declared a powerful tree of life (Pr. 15:4;25:23).

Finally, there is one more image that could prove helpful for us from this passage.

Water

Clean water storage is important because clean, fresh water is essential to human life. Brackish water, on the other hand, is hostile to the growth, and without appropriate management, it is damaging to the environment. Wikipedia

Our speech can be speech that is hostile to our growth and the growth of others and damaging to our environment. OR our speech can be speech that gives life if we speak words of justice, words of healing, words of knowledge, words of kindness, and words of praise to our Lord and King.

But we won’t always get it right.

There is a small island in Indonesia called Sumba. On the Eastern Coast of this island there is an area called the Tanjung Undu, which in English means, "The Land of the Undo People."
After extensive research on this area, I have decided that this is where I would like to live.
Due to an atmospheric anomaly, and the way the rotation of the earth affects that part of the world, the people of this region have been gifted with a genetic Undo function that allows them to quickly and easily take back the last thing they have said without anyone knowing that it was ever said:
A husband speaks harshly to his wife; no harm done, just use the Undo function.
Two neighbors gossip about what the pastor's wife was wearing on Sunday; no sin committed, just use the Undo function.
A word is spoken in anger between two lifelong friends; no relationship broken, just use the Undo function.
James 3:8 says, "But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil, and full of deadly poison."
The gift of communication is perhaps one of God's dearest gifts to us.
Using simple words, we can express love, gratitude, honor and many other positive emotions that we feel for others.
But words can also express pride, fear, distrust and other negative emotions that we struggle with each day. There have been many times I have laid awake at night regretting the things I said that day. Things that have hurt or embarrassed others, or alienated those that I love and respect.
"And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you." Ephesians 4:32
While God did not create an Undo function for the words we say, He did create the repentance and forgiveness function. And perhaps more than any other function, it is this ability to ask for and receive forgiveness from others, that holds the Body of Christ together. It is one of the central functions that separates us from the world around us.
And, unfortunately, it is a function we do not use enough.
Perhaps it is fear that our repentance will not be received by our brother, that keeps us from asking.
Perhaps a hardened life keeps us from forgiving someone.
Perhaps it is weariness that keeps us from opening up our lives one more time to those that have hurt us, or whom we have hurt, and beginning the long, sometimes difficult process of restoring relationships.
"I... entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Ephesians 4:1-3
While there is a place called Tanjung Undu on the East Coast of Sumba, in reality, the people who live there struggle with the problems their words create, just as we do. And as nice as it might be to have an Undo function to correct the things we have said and done, odds are unlikely scientists will develop this in our lifetime.
Fortunately, God has shown us how to repent and restore. So as you use the Undo function on your computer this week, let it serve as a reminder to repent of the harmful words you have spoken and to forgive the words that have been spoken against you.

And together, with the help of God All-Powerful, let’s strive to use our tongue for good and to refrain from evil speech.

Main Objective: To choose to use our tongue for good and to refrain from evil speech.