Join us in this compelling journey through James Chapter 3, a text that uncovers the dichotomy of blessing and cursing embodied by the tongue. Hear Denise Washington Blomberg as she narrates this potent chapter, highlighting the importance of our words and the wisdom required to govern them. As Alan J. Huth shares entries from his personal journals, discover how the lessons from James have informed his life and ministry over several decades. This episode doesn’t just reiterate the scripture but seeks to apply it to modern life, offering listeners a chance to reflect on their own experiences with speech
Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. Allen J. Huth shares a Bible passage with comments from over 35 years of his personal Bible reading journals and applies the Word of God to our daily lives.
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Today we’re in James chapter 3. We’ll listen to our guest reader, Denise Washington Blomberg, a radio personality here in Denver, Colorado, as she reads James chapter 3 about the tongue. Let’s listen in.
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James 3 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For we all stumble in many ways, and if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also. Though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, 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 things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water. Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder at every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere, and a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
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Back in 1990, when I was 35 years old, I read James chapter 3 and I wrote, Control Tongue. Then I wrote, The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. Ten years later, in another decade of my life in my mid-40s, 45 years old to be exact, when I read James 3, I wrote, The Tongue, I need to do better in this area of my life. I do well outside of my home. Inside with Terry and children, I don’t do well. Why? I’m not sure. I’m more condescending with them, more self-righteous, less patient, less kind, expect more from them, I guess. The scripture gives good advice, good direction, if only I could follow. And 15 years later, in another decade of my life, when I was 60 years old, I read James chapters 3 and 4 on the same day. And I wrote, God has given me opportunities to speak from pulpits in hundreds of churches. Therefore, I have a high level of accountability to God, according to chapter 3, verse 1. Then I wrote, I do pretty good controlling my tongue, but it’s still amazing what sometimes comes out of my mouth or heart. Selfish ambition and bitter jealousy are unspiritual, demonic, and disorderly, according to verses 14 through 15. Seek wisdom from above, pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere, and I was referring to verse 17. Lord, give me that kind of wisdom. Those were my journal entries concerning James chapter 3, so let’s take a look at this issue of the tongue. First, as I mentioned, I get to speak in churches and other venues all over the world. I take verse 1 very seriously. It says, Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. I pray all the time for God’s anointing when I speak. Having the privilege to be a teacher is an amazing opportunity. I do not take it lightly. The issue of speaking gets us to the next issue about the tongue. James compares it to the bit in a horse’s mouth or the rudder on a ship. Both of those small items move powerful forces like horses and ships. The tongue also moves us. Verse 5, So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! Most likely we’ve all experienced that, that our tongues have set ablaze big fires. Look at these horrible descriptions. A world of unrighteousness. Staining the whole body. Setting on fire the entire course of life. And set on fire by hell itself. Yes, the tongue is powerful. And James doesn’t give us much hope, does he? He says in verse 8, But no human being can tame the tongue. And he goes farther in this destructive descriptions of the tongue. A restless evil full of deadly poison. And then James gives us the contrast in verse 9. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. What a practical application I could get out of verse 9. If I could just remember that before I spoke, that I could bless God with this tongue, or I can curse people who are made in his likeness. Lord, help me remember that before I unleash my tongue. James goes on to say, From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not be so. The Apostle Paul also speaks about the tongue in Ephesians 4, verse 29. He says, Paul and James warn us about our tongues. What are they really saying to you and me? It’s not our tongue’s fault, is it? No, it’s what’s in our hearts. That is what comes out of our mouths. In Psalm 19, the last verse, verse 14 says, “…that the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart…” be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Yes, what comes out of our mouth is connected to what’s in our hearts. That’s why David says in Psalm 51 verse 10, Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. A clean heart will clean up our tongue. We can all work on this issue, can’t we? Here in James chapter 3, the Word of God is very applicable to our lives. The chapter also finishes with references to our hearts. Let’s begin with verse 14. Wow. jealousy, and selfish ambition in our hearts is earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. Those are powerful words from James. He follows it with verse 16. Fortunately, James gives us the answer. He says in verse 17, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. When those things are in our hearts, what do we get? A harvest of righteousness and peace. What’s your life like? Are you experiencing a harvest of righteousness? Are you peaceful? Or is your heart filled with bitter jealousy and selfish ambition? Maybe the test of what’s in our heart is examining what is coming out of our mouths. That’s our practical application from James chapter 3, isn’t it? Take some time to examine what’s coming out of your mouth. Don’t blame your tongue. Look at your heart. Father, thank you for the very practical applications from James chapter 3. You know us. You know we all struggle with what comes out of our mouths. Forgive us, Lord. Take a bar of soap and clean out our mouths. Take jealousy and selfish ambition out of our hearts and please replace it from wisdom from above. Peace, gentleness, mercy, and good fruit. Please help us sow righteousness and peace to those around us. Oh God, help us. We ask it in your name. Amen. Thanks for listening to AdBible today. Across our listening audience, more and more of you are supporting AdBible by visiting our website at EzraProject.net and purchasing resources like Club 365 subscriptions, Bible reading journals, and one or more of our day-by-day through the Bible devotional books. We thank you so much and encourage more of you to do the same. You will find helpful and inspirational tools to enhance your personal time in God’s Word. Today I want to review the three tools we see most listeners getting. First, Club 365. This is a monthly subscription opening our vault of all Add Bible audio recordings and all printed pages of the entire Day by Day through the Bible devotional series. By joining Club 365 for only $7 a month, you have access to both audio and written information on all 66 books of the Bible. Club 365 is a goldmine, and it is completely flexible to your personal Bible reading plan. So if you’re reading Matthew or Isaiah or Psalms or Revelation, you have access to audio or written comments, applications, and prayers on any of them at your fingertips. Get Club 365 at EzraProject.net today, like so many others have. Secondly, another hot seller are our Bible reading journals. We offer two. One is a chronological Bible reading journal that contains a daily Bible reading plan chronologically. 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