Our Lord Jesus warns us through His inspired Word that just as a great forest is set ablaze by such a small fire (James 3:5), “the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set amongst our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.” (James 3:6)
All humanity struggles with the tongue, but this is an issue that is especially troubling for women. With our tongues we elevate ourselves while tearing others down. With our tongues we criticize and wound. With our tongues we gossip and destroy a person’s name and reputation. With our tongues we complain. And each time the flame of our tongue speaks and spreads, the damage done often takes years to restore and sometimes the harm is so extensive nothing is left but ruins. Marriages are destroyed with the fire of a tongue. Life-long friendships are broken. Churches experience dissension and are destroyed by such a small thing as the tongue.
Who can save us from our tongues of fire? Thanks be to God who has given us the victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ!
Jesus warns us soberly through His Word about the danger of our tongues for our good and in His great mercy in order to bring life to the people He has redeemed. He tells us that the problem with the tongue is a problem with the heart. Out of the overflow of the heart our mouth speaks. (Luke 6:45) What rolls off our tongues reveals our hearts! At first this sounds like bad news. Our hearts are corrupt. But in reality this is good news. We can’t know we need heart surgery if we don’t know what’s in there. God has promised that He would replace our hearts of stone and give us hearts of flesh. This is what happens when He redeems His people from their sin through the blood of Jesus. They are immediately saved from the power of sin and given new hearts. But there is an already-but not yet element to our salvation. In our sanctification process (which lasts our entire lives), He is performing heart surgery and is at work removing those hearts of stone and replacing with hearts of flesh. Hallelujah!
So, when we hear words roll off our tongues in flames of fire, let us look beyond the tongue and into our hearts and allow God to expose what is going on in there. Ephesians 4:29 says, “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.” As we find ourselves in conversation with others, let us listen to our words. Are these words corrupting? Do they tear down someone’s reputation? Do they cause others to grumble? Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the heart that is behind the speech. Ask Him to change your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Fill your heart and mind with the words of Christ Jesus by spending time studying His Word. As our hearts are changed our speech is changed!
Instead of tearing others down, let us use words that build them up. As our hearts and minds are filled with the grace of God toward us in Christ Jesus, no longer is there a need to exalt ourselves by tearing others down. Instead, filled with grace, we seek to build up the reputation of others. We see the good in others and want others to see it too. In so doing, we are reflecting Christ and giving grace to all who are listening. Isn’t that beautiful? Words that overflow from a grace-saturated heart are words that spread grace to all who hear.
May we be women who speak with the tongues of the redeemed...full of grace. And let our tongues of fire be ones that spread beauty rather than destruction in our marriages, families, and churches.
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