Devotional Guide, Today’s Reading – Tuesday, September 8, 2020

Theme: COMMENTARY ON JAMES CHAPTERS 3 - 5

Text: “Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!” – James 3:3-5.

Comment: The tongue is defined by Encarta Dictionary as “the movable fleshy organ attached to the bottom of the inside of the mouth of humans and most animals, used for tasting, licking, swallowing, and, in humans, speech”. Though it is a small member of the human body it is capable of doing a lot of good and also a lot of evil to the individual and to the society. “And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.” (James 3:6) Though every kind of beast has been tamed, people generally find it very difficult to control their tongues. Thus individuals, groups, societies and nations have become enemies to one another due to misuse of the tongue. (James:3: 7-10)  Because of the way they use their tongues, it is hard to classify some people as Christians. Such ones therefore give confusing signals to people.  St. James asked, “Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.” – James 3:11,12.

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