The Weight of Your Words
Measuring the impact of what you say.
Joseph M Stowell
1. A Words Worth
Recall a time when you were unsure of yourself and the power of someone’s words helped you to succeed. What positive role did those words play?
Recall a time when negative words hurt you and hindered your ability to grow.
Read Matt 12:36-37
What negative patterns of speech (careless words) have tended to infiltrate the church?
Even godly people can criticize the faults of others. How do negative things shared in a spiritual context sometimes go against the Christian principles those same people believe in?
Do you believe we can control what we say?
Does James 3:8 change your answer to the above question?
How do we enlist God’s help in controlling our speech patterns? (see Eph 6)
“One of the most instructive sections of truth concerning the tongue is James 3. In this passage 5 principles unfold that make us more aware of the gravity of our words.”
Look at James 3:2. What makes the man “perfect”? (Principle 1)
Why does he say the right things?
What are your observations about the tongue from James 3:3-5? (Principle 2)
Principle 3 is drawn from James 3:6. What are the characteristics of fire and how does this compare to the tongue?
Principle 4 is drawn from James 3:7-8. Although we cannot tame the tongue on our own, are there principles we can draw from the taming/training of an animal?
What is principle 5? (3:9-12)
Application exercise