The NIV 365 Day Devotional

How Do I Tame My Tongue?

The psalm writer pledged to keep [his] tongue from sin, but it sure isn’t easy for us to do that! Using our words wisely takes great and constant effort. In fact, the New Testament book of James says that while people can train wild animals, no human being can tame the tongue (Jas 3:8).

But that doesn’t mean we should give up trying to control our words. It means we need to think differently. James asked, Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? (Jas 3:11). Nope. A spring can produce only one kind of water —the water that is available from the source of the spring. In the same way, our words flow from a source: our hearts.

James continued his argument: Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be (Jas 3:10). How do we make sure only praise and good are flowing out of our mouths? By watching what’s influencing our source. Think of it this way: Our hearts —not our physical hearts but our innermost being —are warehouses, with either good things or evil things stockpiled within. When we speak, we’re just pulling down what’s on the shelves. So to keep our tongues from sin, we need to let God stock our warehouses with good things.

Taken from the NIV Quest Study Bible.