James 3: 2-10
God gave us one tongue, yet two ears. We must do twice as much
listening as talking. God put the tongue on the inside out of harms way, while the ears
are on the outside and so constructed that they cannot be closed. We must always listen,
but not always talk. There is an ear on each side of the head so if we miss a word on the
one side we can pick it up on the other side. Furthermore, one end of the tongue is tied.
Even with the end fastened what awful damage the tongue has wrought. Besides that we have
been given two pairs of fences to keep the tongue from wondering off. First our teeth
which are there to enable us to bite the end of our tongue when we feel inclined to say
something wrong. This is quite evident for while a baby at birth has every member of the
body present and accounted for, it likes teeth for the simple reason that the babe can not
talk yet, and not need any teeth, but the moment it starts talking it gets teeth so it can
bite its tongue. Another fence is the lips and spite of all those precautions we still
need a constant watch at the gate as the psalmist prays in Psa. 141:3 "Set a watch, O
LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips."