Accepting Guidance

Thank you for joining us for today's encouragement from the Our Daily Bread devotional.

Our reading, titled Accepting Guidance, was written by Jennifer Benson Schult. The air smelled of leather and oats as we stood in the barn where my friend Michelle was teaching my daughter to ride a horse. Michelle's white pony opened its mouth as she demonstrated how to place the bit behind its teeth. As she pulled the bridle over its ears, Michelle explained that the bit was important because it allowed the rider to slow the horse and to steer it to the left or right. A horse's bit, like the human tongue, is small but important.

Both have great influence over something big and powerful. For the bit, it's the horse. For the tongue, it's our words. Our words can run in different directions. James 3-9 reads, With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings. Unfortunately, the Bible warns that it's very hard to control our speech because words spring from our hearts. Thankfully, God's Spirit, who indwells every believer, helps us grow in patience, goodness, and self-control. As we cooperate with the Spirit, our hearts change and so do our words. Profanity turns to praise. Lying gives way to truth. Criticism transforms into encouragement. Taming the tongue isn't just about training ourselves to say the right things. It's about accepting the Holy Spirit's guidance so that our words generate the kindness and encouragement our world needs.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from James chapter 3, verses 2-11. We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal or take ships as an example.

Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 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 body, sets the whole course of one's life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue.

It is a restless evil full of deadly poison. With the tongue, we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.

Can both freshwater and saltwater flow from the same spring? Let's pray. God, may your spirit transform our hearts so that it overflows with words that honor you and are an encouragement to others. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.