Untamed or Well-Trained?

If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we direct their whole bodies. —James 3:3

The average human tongue is four inches long, contains eight muscles, and weighs two and a half ounces. Yet it has tremendous potential for good or bad.

James maintains that a controlled tongue is like a well-trained horse. When we put bits into the mouths of horses, we’re able to turn the direction of the whole animal. A trained animal can pull a plow or carry a rider, but an untrained horse can’t be harnessed for productive work. Loosed, it would run through the street wildly, causing chaos.

Free and untamed, our words can cause lots of damage. According to James 3:3–5, godliness involves bridling the uninhibited nature of the tongue and actively controlling the direction of our speech so it becomes productive.

Changing our words from evil to good requires time, energy, and commitment. But above all it requires that we study what God has to say about how to use our mouths and then rely on Him to help us use them in the right way.