But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. ~James 3:8
There have been times when I have said something that I regret immediately. Every so often my old sin nature will rise to the surface and in the heat of the moment I will say something that I must apologize for later. How is it that the same tongue which we use to praise God and to read aloud the Holy Scriptures can be used to lash out and hurt those around us? James compares our mouths to wells of water and asks a question; can we draw both fresh and bitter water from the same well?
Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? ~James 3:10,11
James says you shouldn't be able to find both fresh and bitter water at the same well. Think of it, if you were to live in a hot arid desert, would you travel to a well for a drink if you knew that you may find bitter, undrinkable water? We should ask ourselves a question today; what kind of well am I? Can people come to me and find something which blesses and refreshes the soul, or is it possible that they may find bitter and undrinkable water polluted by sin. Where does this bitter water come from? If our mouth is a well of water, then it is our heart which is the spring supplying it…
But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. ~Matthew 15:18
When Jesus was questioned by the Pharisees about His disciples eating with unwashed hands, He used the opportunity to point out it is not that which enters into a person which defiles them, but that which comes forth out of the heart. It is not some outside influence or circumstance which causes us to sin; the outside influences are catalysts which reveal the sin already present in the heart. It is like taking a glass of water in one hand and striking it with the other. The result is water on the floor. The water does not end up on the floor because you struck the glass, but because when the glass was struck there was water already in it…
Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. ~Proverbs 4:23
When we say those things which require an apology later, then what we really want to look at is our heart. When the Bible speaks of our heart in this manner it is not talking about the muscle that pumps blood throughout our bodies, but it speaks of that inner person where our thoughts, emotions, soul, and spirit are. That part of us where only we can see and no one else. The writer of this proverb exhorts us to keep or guard our heart with all diligence. We are to guard our hearts against the evil and corruptive influences of this world. When we allow worldliness into our lives, even a little, we will see it later in our thoughts, words, and deeds. Oh yes, there is One other who can "see" into our hearts…
Would not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart. ~Psalm 44:21
The opinions expressed herein are my own personal opinions and I could be wrong. The Bible however, is never, ever wrong.All Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version (Thomas Nelson Publishers), unless otherwise noted. Sign in