In Exodus 4:11 the Lord asked Moses, “Who has made man’s mouth?” and in Romans 6:13 Paul commanded “present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.” The Lord intricately designed our bodies (Ps. 139:13-16) to be used for His glory, and that includes our mouths. But, sadly, we often underestimate the good that can be accomplished for God with them.
If you were to ask any Bible student to name the chapter in God’s Word that deals with the tongue, surely James 3 would be the answer. The chapter begins with a warning to those who would seek to be teachers of God’s Word (3:1). “We will receive a stricter judgment,” James says, and so we should take extra care with our words – the vehicle for teaching. James 3:2-5a provides an exposition of the power of our tongue to accomplish good. They may be small – like a bit or a rudder – but they wield great power! Consider some passages and points from God’s Word about the good that can be accomplished with our tongue.
Our tongue can praise God. David said, “My tongue shall speak of Your righteousness, and of Your praise all the day long” (Ps. 35:28). Another Psalmist said, “I cried to Him with my mouth, and He was extolled with my tongue” (Psalm. 66:17). God is worthy of our praise because He is our God and our Creator (Ps. 139:14). God is worthy of our praise at all times, even when things are difficult (Ps. 34:1). Remember the exhortation of Hebrews 13:15: “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.”
Our tongues can bless the lives of others. Solomon said, “The tongue of the righteous is choice silver… the lips of the righteous feed man” (Pro. 10:20-21). How often do we stop to consider the amount of good that can be done in the life of another simply by our words? A kind word, a message of encouragement, a drop of wisdom, and even a well-timed rebuke can be positive. “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver” (Pro. 25:11). A good word is like life (Pro. 15:4) which brings joy (Pro. 15:23a). How good it is to bless others with our words (Pro. 15:23b)!
Our tongues can edify the church. Consider Ephesians 4:29-31 in light of our speech. Paul commands, “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification….” Are your words helping or hurting the church? Is the church stronger due to the things that you say? The next passage is a word of motivation–“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God….” The Holy Spirit desires the unity of the church (Eph. 2:14-18) and if our words destroy that unity, it grieves Him. Verses 31-32 provide some practical instruction. Instead of using our tongues in anger, we ought to use them in kindness being willing to show compassion and forgiveness to one another.
The Bible has so much more to say about how we can use our tongue for good. Our speech can exhibit gentleness, graciousness, and tactfulness (Col. 4:6). We can use our tongue to proclaim the Word of God (Mal. 2:7). Our speech can be truthful and sincere (Zech. 8:16) as well as wise (Ps. 37:30). But none of this is possible without first making a decision to harness the positive power of the tongue.
Words begin as thoughts (Mark 7:20-23) and thus the heart must be right if the words will be right. We must say “I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress” (Ps. 17:3). Like Job, our determination should be “As long as my breath is in me, and the breath of God in my nostrils, my lips will not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit” (Job 27:3-4). It is not easy to control the tongue. James 3 emphasizes that well. It is a life long pursuit that requires much time in study and prayer, and there will be times of failure. Likely, many! But with the help of God we can do it.
Psalm 45:1 says, “My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.” Indeed, that is true for us all. Too often we write stories of sin and shame, using our tongues as weapons of mass destruction. It doesn’t have to be that way, and it shouldn’t. Let us purpose in our hearts to harness and employ the positive power of the tongue.