James 3:8-10, New International Reader's Version [1]

⁸But no one can tame the tongue. It is an evil thing that never rests. It is full of deadly poison.

⁹With our tongues we praise our Lord and Father. With our tongues we curse people. We do it even though people have been created to be like God. ¹⁰Praise and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, it shouldn’t be this way.

Operation game piece: Game board, and Sam’s tongue (this one doesn’t exist, but point to mouth).

Message

The tongue is a very small part of the body. It is so small, in fact, that it isn’t included in the game Operation. But the tongue can do a lot of good. The tongue can tell the truth, encourage others, and praise God. Having a tongue can be a great gift. On the other hand, the tongue can do a lot of evil. It can use bad words. It can lie. Using hurtful words can poison your relationship with others.

How you use your tongue says a lot about what kind of person you are. James reminds us to control our tongue. When you feel happy, this may be easier than when you feel angry or impatient. Sometimes the best thing to do when you are feeling angry or frustrated is to not use your tongue at all.

The tongue is so small that it isn’t on our Operation board game. This is a reminder of just how small the tongue is, but also how dangerous our words can be. How often have you seen angry words hurt someone else? How do you feel when someone lies to you? Do you feel different when someone encourages you? When we play a game like Operation, we sometimes can’t wait for our turn and can become impatient. We want our turn, and we want to win. Maybe we might even say something like, “I hope you touch the side and make the nose light up and I win the game.” James reminds us that we need to control our tongues. Have you ever heard someone say, “If you can’t say anything nice, then don’t say anything at all?” Our tongues may be small, but they can do a lot of damage if we let them. Let’s not let them; instead, let’s use our tongues to praise God and to encourage others. Can you do that? I am sure with God’s help; we all can do that!