The Benefits of Controlling the Tongue
James 3:3-4
“When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.”
In our last study James told us if a person is "never at fault in what he says, his a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check." The idea of keeping the your body “in check” comes from a Greek word meaning to “bridle” which may sound familiar to you as it is used more commonly in bridling horses. When you put a “bit” in a horses mouth and attach the reins it enables you to control the animal. This is the example James uses in our next verse.
The larger breeds of horses in the world stand will over six feet tall and weigh over 2000 pounds. They have the power to pull enormous amounts of weight over long distances. No human being can restrain the strength of a horse and yet when we put a bit into the horses mouth we are able to control the animal. This is the point James is explaining in our text. He is making a comparison...an analogy. If we control our tongue we can control the desires of the body just like the bit in the horses mouth gives the rider control over the horse.
James also uses the example of a ship. Now ships in the time of James were not as large as they are today, but the analogy is still the same. The rudder of the ship, located at the rear of the vessel, is very small compared to the overall size of the vessel. This small rudder can control the entire direction of the ship, even during storms when the ship is fighting against high winds and waves. I remember some of the stories my father told me while stationed on an aircraft carrier during the Korean War. These massive vessels were like floating cities on the ocean carrying several thousand people. While on their way to Japan one year they found themselves in a typhoon. We all know the power and damage storms can do. Out in open sea of the Pacific Ocean my father described waves rising 20 feet above the deck of the ship and pounding against it over and over again...yet the rudder kept the ship on course.
Do you see the point James is making? How you control your tongue….how you control what you say...will determine the direction of your life. If goodness, mercy, compassion, and truth are coming out of your mouth then your life will be going in a godly direction; and these same godly qualities will be seen in your actions. If worldliness, gossip, foul language, and off colored joking come out of your mouth then it is easy to assume there will be sinful activities going on in your life also.
How is your tongue? Do you need to make some changes in your life? Why not ask God for wisdom in this area of your life and let Him help you as He gives wisdom “generously to all without finding fault” (James 1:5).
