TO one newly commencing the study of the Bible it may come as a surprise to find therein considerable mention of the tongue, referred to by James as "a little member." In the Old Testament it is spoken of, certain passages in the Psalms and in Proverbs reiterating the good or the evil results which follow the uses to which this "little member" may be put. And in the New Testament James rebukes the strife expressed through the tongue, this "unruly evil," which he declares no man can tame.
Many individuals are in bondage to the belief of an unruly tongue. The unkind word, hasty retort, or biting criticism may seem to come more naturally to their lips than words of pleasantness and beauty. But no individual can be content to accept this erroneous state of things, for in his heart there is the inherent desire to curb this unruly member, and so preclude those words uttered in an unguarded moment, words the speaker would later have given much to recall.
James made no mistake when he declared that no man can tame the tongue, for mere human effort and the use of will-power are vain. But when through the spiritual understanding of God we learn that our true selfhood is the expression of all that is good, harmonious, and beautiful, we can undertake the taming of the unruly member with the joyful anticipation of certain success.
