James 3 Devotional

Wisdom for an Untamed Tongue

“But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere.”James 3:17 (BSB)

James does not flatter our words. A tiny bit steers a horse and a small rudder turns a ship, and the tongue, small as it is, can set a whole life on fire like a spark in a forest (3:3-6). People have tamed every kind of animal, yet no one can tame the tongue (3:8). With the same mouth we praise God and curse people made in his likeness (3:9-10), and we all stumble in many ways (3:2).

Had the chapter ended there, it would leave us hopeless. But James turns to a different kind of wisdom, the wisdom that comes from above. It is pure, peace-loving, gentle, full of mercy and good fruit (3:17). That wisdom is not something we produce by trying harder. Earlier in the letter James said God gives wisdom generously to anyone who asks (1:5). The tongue no one can tame is not beyond the reach of the God who gives. Speech that heals rather than burns starts with asking him, and it grows into the quiet work of peacemakers who sow peace (3:18).

To think about: Which conversation ahead of you needs wisdom from above, and will you ask God for it before you speak?