SCRIPTURE: James 3 

KEY POINTS TO PONDER: 1) The words that come out of our mouths have immense power, even changing the entire course of our lives (v. 6). 2) We need to be aware of this as followers of Jesus and always seek to use our words wisely, even as it is a hard task. 3) We are called as Christians to not boast of ourselves with our tongue, but let our actions reveal our character (v. 13). 

CHALLENGING TERMS: Bits in a horse’s mouth and rudders of ships are both examples of small things leading something much larger, just as our tongue might be small but has great power over our lives (vv. 3-5). 

QUESTION: How might your words be bringing destruction and hurt to yourself and others at this time in your life (vv. 1-12)? 

PRAYER: Father, thank you for blessing us with the gift of encouraging and building each other up through our words and actions. 

Consider praying that God would teach you to use your tongue and your actions in a way that would bless others, and that He would help you to not use your tongue to destructive ends.