James 3:2 states “if any man offend not in word, the same is
a perfect man, also able to bridle his body.
James 1:26 says “If anyone thinks he is religious and does
not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is
worthless.”
The Greek derivative of the word “bridle” is chalinagogon which means, to keep a
tight rein on, to guide, to hold in check.
The process
of bridling a horse in order to ride it with some point of control is a rather
simple process for those with experience in doing so. A bit is placed into the horses mouth which
when pulled on by the rider causes the horses head to face in the direction the
rider wants it to go, essentially controlling the movement of the horse. Not every horse will take the bridle on the
first try, but with discipline and practice the horse will eventually come to
accept the bridle and the direction the rider gives it.
What is
essential in understanding what James is saying regarding the bridling of the
tongue is that without it, the person is unable to control himself. C.S. Lewis in a BBC recording said it this
way. “Though natural likings should normally be encouraged, it would be quite
wrong to think that the way to become charitable is to sit trying to
manufacture affectionate feelings….The rule for all of us is perfectly
simple. Do not waste time bothering
whether you “love” your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this, we find one of the
great secrets. When you are behaving as
if you loved someone, you will presently come to love [them]. If you injure someone you dislike, you will
find yourself disliking [them] more.”
Have you
ever noticed yourself being around someone who is always talking
negatively? It’s quite natural for us in
that instance to become negative in accord with that person. When one begins to think or speak negatively
about a person or situation, feelings begin to grow and develop into further
negative feelings, and then resentment begins to set in. People with a negative outlook on situations
are less likely to succeed or to overcome an obstacle, and may continue further
down a road of negativity where the end result of every situation is grim.
Police
Officers are taught in situations that involve a great deal of stress to use
positive self-talk to enhance their ability to think clearly and make precise
decisions. Instances where peril lies
about in a circumstance, those who tell themselves “I can do this” are more
likely to be successful than those with the mindset of “this is too hard, or
impossible”.
The mystery
of what James is saying is that the key to self-control and discipline starts
with the mouth and what you say. You
cannot begin with disciplines of the body and expect them to result in
disciplines of the tongue. It’s quite
opposite. We as Christians must learn
that in order to set the tone for our self-discipline, it must start with
controlling what comes out of the mouth.
Matthew 15:11 says “it is not what
goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth;
this defiles a person”.
We must
start with what we say, not what we do.
In order to perfect ourselves we must begin, even without feeling, to be
disciplined. If we want to learn to
love, we must speak love first, and feelings will follow suit. If we want to live without strife, we must
learn to speak peace first. If we want
to learn to forgive, speaking forgiveness will cause our hearts to
forgive.
Begin by
approaching someone you have enmity with, speak words of peace and
encouragement to them and find your heart begin to change. On the contrary, if you approach someone to
whom you do not like, put them down or cause them hurt and you will continue to
despise that person.
If you want
to become a “perfect” person, in the sense that James refers to perfection, you
must start with control of your tongue, you must begin to speak love, peace,
patience. You must not continue to put
down, talk ill of or demote those around you with your words or you will never
be able to truly walk in the ways of Christ.
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