The Weight Of Your Words

Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly. Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.

James 3:1-2

THE WORDS OF A LEADER MATTER because words are powerful instruments, especially in the hands of someone in a position to communicate biblical truth. The book of James reminds us of the gravity of the things we say on behalf of God. This is why pastors and Bible teachers should not teach more or less than what the Bible says.

You may be reading this and thinking to yourself, Whew, glad I’m not a pastor. But this sober warning in James 3 applies to leaders at all levels. The Scriptures urge us to weigh our words because they can have such a profound impact. They are more powerful than we realize—they’re compared to the bridle of a horse, the rudder of a ship, and the spark of a fire. And this is by design. God intended language to be powerfully used for good. But sin has made the tongue a potential force for evil.

The only one who can tame the tongue is Jesus. He gives you the power to harness your tongue for good. So the question for every Christian man is simply this: How are you using your words? For good, or for evil? As a leader, you can move masses of people to positive action with words of truth and grace. Or you can move masses of people to frustration and sorrow with words of evil. The tongue is that powerful. Ask the Lord to help you control your tongue so that it will be an instrument of blessing to others.

BOTTOM LINE

Leaders at all levels must consider the gravity of their words.

Moment of Strength: James 3:1-12