Tame the Tongue

Quick! Grab your tongue and listen to this from the Bible: “All of us get tripped up in many ways. Suppose someone is never wrong in what they say. Then they are perfect. They are able to keep their whole body under control. 

We put a small piece of metal in the mouth of a horse to make it obey us. We can control the whole animal with it. And how about ships? They are very big. They are driven along by strong winds. But they are steered by a very small rudder. It makes them go where the captain wants to go. In the same way, the tongue is a small part of a person’s body. But it TALKS BIG. Think about how a small spark can set a big forest on fire. 

The tongue is also a fire. The tongue is the most evil part of the body. It makes the whole body impure. It sets a person’s whole way of life on fire. And the tongue itself is set on fire by hell. People have tamed all kinds of wild animals, birds, reptiles, and sea creatures. And they still tame them. But no one can tame the tongue. It is an evil thing that never rests. It is full of deadly poison.” That’s James 3:1-8 

Okay, you can let go of your tongue now if you’re still holding it.

Did you know that your tongue can get you in to trouble? These verses say that our tongues are evil and full of deadly poison. Woah! Why so much hate for a tongue? Well it’s because with our tongue, we are able to talk. And you probably know by now that our talk, the things we say, can be dishonest and wrong or hateful and mean or even bring harm to others. You might think that something you say is not that big of a deal, but our words have POWER and we don’t always use it for good. In fact, these verses said our words can be like a spark that starts a forest fire. 

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 So what else? Well, Luke 6:45b says, “For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.”

This means that what we say is actually overflowing from our heart. Think of a bucket full of water, that’s our heart. And when the water fills up so much it’s overflowing, those are our words. So whatever is in our heart, overflows in the things we say in our words with our tongue.

So how do we tame or control the tongue? We start with the heart. And that’s a job that only Jesus can take on. When we give our heart to Jesus and let Him be ruler of our life, He starts to change our heart. He does the work with His saving power! And when He changes our heart, it changes everything about us – especially our tongue and the things we say.

So instead of walking around all day holding on to our tongue to keep it under control, let’s ask the Lord to change our heart. Because when He changes our heart, then good, loving, life-bringing words will overflow and come out of our mouths.

Here are some questions to talk about. You can pause after each question and discuss. Oh, and there’s not wrong answer to these. So don’t overthink it!

1.     Tell about a time when your tongue or words got out of control. And this is a free zone answer time, parents don’t get your kids in trouble with their answer! Just listen!

2.     What does our heart have to do with our tongue or our words?

3.     How do we tame our tongue and get it under control?

One last time before we sign off, let’s practice our verse together. You can repeat after me. “For out of the overflow of his heart - his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45b

You’ve been listening to Backseat Bible Nuggets. A podcast for kids about God’s great love for them and His written word. Parents you can check out more resources at BackseatBibleNuggets.com. We’re honored you listened and pray deep roots grow in the lives of your backseaters as you go along the way.

*Music: "Forest" by Vlad Gluschenko