James 3:1-4; Psalm 141

James 3:1-4
Fasten your seat belts! James is beginning more discussion on the tongue! In vv. 1-4, he essentially wants us to think about who is in control of the tongue because as we all know, the tongue itself is not the problem. The real issues are the condition of our hearts, our attitudes, and our will.

James reminds us of how powerful our words are when he uses the illustrations of a horse controlled by a small bit and a ship controlled by a small rudder.

When we consider what we say, we must look at it two ways. It's important what we DO say, and it's important what we DO NOT say.

• DO: We should speak up to encourage others and build them up, and we should be quick to tell others the Good News of salvation. It's always right to warn others of physical or spiritual danger. And the Bible tells us to use our tongues to thank and praise the Lord. Yes, a Christian's tongue can be an instrument of great blessing to others.
• DO NOT: A believer's tongue should never be used for gossip, putting others down, manipulating others, lying, whining, false teaching, bullying, threatening, etc. This could be an almost endless list, and I think we are all aware when we've used our tongues in a way that doesn't please the Lord. The devastation words cause can last a lifetime.

Before we speak about something that just may be gossip or otherwise hurtful, let's try to remember to ask ourselves these three questions:

• Is it true?
• Is it necessary?
• Is it kind?

Psalm 141
I shouldn't be surprised, but this Psalm, like James, deals in part with the tongue! David asks the Lord to help him in several ways.

• Tongue: "Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips." v. 3
• Temptation:  "Don't let me drift toward evil or take part in acts of wickedness. v. 4
• Criticism and correction:  "Let the godly strike me! It will be a kindness! If they correct me, it is soothing medicine. Don't let me refuse it." v. 5 This is a hard one. Nobody likes criticism, but everybody can benefit from it. The first thing to ask yourself when criticized is, "Is it true? Is any part of it true?" Very often we will have to admit that at least some part of the criticism is true. David's advice is not to refuse it and to consider it a kindness and a medicine, even if it's a rather "bitter pill" to swallow.
• Danger: "I look to you for help, O Sovereign Lord. You are my refuge; don't let them kill me. Keep me from the traps they have set for me..." vv 8, 9