PRAYER FOR GUARDING OUR TONGUES

Lord, we humbly come to you this day to say, “thank you.” You have shown us so much compassion despite our lack of control over the words we say. We have hurt our neighbors, our friends, and our families. Bridle our tongues, God, that we might speak love, not hate. Bridle our tongues, God, that we might uplift and not tear down. Bridle our tongues, God, that we might continue to win more citizens for the kingdom. It’s in the name of the one who saved us, Jesus Christ, that we pray. Amen.

SERMON

POINT: You have the freedom to choose the words you put into this world.

POINT: Faith is inward commitments for outward expressions.

Matthew 5:16 NRSV - In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

The words you speak can uplift and inspire people to love, laugh, and achieve great things. Your words can also instill a sense of fear, hatred, and even hopelessness in the person who is on the receiving end. —Alex Uwajeh, Taming the Tongue: The Power of Spoken Words

James 3:1-12 NRSV
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will face stricter judgment. All of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is mature and able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle. If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole bodies. Or look at ships: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, yet they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits.

How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets the cycle of life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. Every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil full of deadly poison. With it, we bless the Lord and Father, and with it, we curse people made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth comes a blessing and a curse. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water? Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield olives or grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh.

SOME SUGGESTIONS:
1. Calm down.
2. Consider the impact.
3. Check your motives.

Ephesians 4:29 - Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

POINT: We should be able to speak hard truths, but if hard truths aren’t given and received with a loving spirit, it won’t matter.