The Power of Our Words
James 3: 1-12
1 Not many should become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive a stricter judgment;
2 for we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a mature man who is also able to control his whole body.
3 Now when we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we also guide the whole animal.
4 And consider ships: though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.
5 So too, though the tongue is a small part [of the body], it boasts great things. Consider how large a forest a small fire ignites.
6 And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among the parts of our [bodies]; it pollutes the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is set on fire by hell.
7 For every creature-animal or bird, reptile or fish-is tamed and has been tamed by man,
8 but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men who are made in God’s likeness.
10 Out of the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things should not be this way.
11 Does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening?
12 Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers, or a grapevine [produce] figs? Neither can a saltwater spring yield fresh water.
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