How often we are reminded of the words of James concerning our tongue…

James 3:5-6 Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.

Pretty strong words describing how the Holy Spirit views what is behind our tongue. But there is another side to our tongue that often fails to get the attention is deserves because the focus is generally placed on the negative and not the positive. So let’s take a couple minutes and shine the light on that other side, and we’ll start with the thoughts of Isaiah.

Isa 50:4 The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.

Isaiah was speaking of the Messiah. He knew that the Messiah had the tongue of One who had been taught; discipled. And what that referred to was Jesus’ character as would be evidenced in many events throughout His life here on earth. In the original Hebrew it means that He had been “qualified to talk.” On the subject of God, He was fully qualified to speak and He was qualified to know when to speak and what to speak… to the weary. And that is where we so often fail, where we miss the opportunity to speak with a “learned tongue.”

Prov 12:25 Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression…

With all of the chaos in the world that surrounds us, on top of all our personal worries and anxieties, is it any wonder that we so easily find ourselves falling into depression? Yes, even as the bride of Christ we are not immune from this deadly plague. For some, it is an infrequent occurrence, but for others it has become the watchman on their wall that only awaits their moment of consciousness in the morning… even finding ways to invade their unconscious thoughts in the dark hours. Yes, we all struggle with depression but where is our focus? I have to admit, so often my focus has been on me. How am I doing, how am I feeling, how am I going to deal with my problems? And that self-centered perspective causes me to miss the key to verse 25… But a good word makes it glad. Solomon knew depression, but he also knew what was needed to overcome it.

Jesus character was all about delivering a “good word.” His tongue was always focused on setting the captives free. He was always listening in the Spirit for the right words at the right time for the right person. Is that our focus, or do we struggle with the words of James? Well, the Word tells us that we are to be conformed (transformed) into the image of Jesus Christ. And since that means His character, then we should also become the “learned”… the discipled, the ones who are “qualified” to talk. And we should be  focused on delivering the good word that makes glad. 

We, as His bride, need to be focused on understanding, using, and maturing the gifts that He has given us for the maturing of our fellow members. As we grow more like Jesus every day, we are to be reaching out even further to minister to our brothers and sisters in Him. And certainly that involves heeding the words of both James and Isaiah. We need to be focused on those around us who need not only our prayer and support but also a “good word” in season that will make their anxious and depressed heart “glad.”

Yes, the tongue is like an ember that is so ready to kindle a forest fire. But more importantly, it is an instrument of great encouragement for the difficult times. We need each other and we need to focus on making sure that every day we check in our self-centered thoughts for grace-filled, Christ-centered thoughts that are focused on others. I think Matthew Henry’s thoughts on Isaiah’s words and what they mean for us summed it up well…

Grace was poured into his lips, and they are said to drop sweet-smelling myrrh. See what is the best learning of a minister, to know how to comfort troubled consciences, and to speak pertinently, properly, and plainly, to the various cases of poor souls. An ability to do this is God’s gift, and it is one of the best gifts, which we should covet earnestly. Let us repose ourselves in the many comfortable words which Christ has spoken to the weary.

Negative or Positive… it’s our choice… it’s our tongue.