Life, Death, and Wisdom

Nathan Bentley   -  

As I was preparing for this week’s message on James 3, I realized that I had taught about the tongue about 5 years ago and had created a handout I thought would be good to distribute again. Over the next few days, take the challenge below and see how well you fair. It is quite amazing how much we talk in one day and how much talking can affect our mood and outlook. This week we will look at the power of the tongue and what a person with wisdom has learned vs someone with knowledge…

THE TEST OF THE TONGUE

How long can you go this week without allowing any of the following to escape your mouth…

  1. Do not complain or grumble.
  2. Do not boast about anything at all.
  3. Do not gossip or repeat bad information about somebody else.
  4. Do not run somebody down, even a little bit.
  5. Do not defend or excuse yourself, no matter what.
  6. Do always affirm other people.

 

The point of the test is, until you come to grips with how hard it is, until you start to actually see what you do with your tongue, you don’t realize what’s really going on in your heart. You don’t know who you are.

 

James 3:5-6

Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire …”

See you Sunday,

Nathan Bentley