Thursday, January 31, 2013

1 Corinthians 3:18-23

1 Corinthians 3:18-23
18 Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”; 20 and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”

Our wisdom is nothing when confronted with God's wisdom.  Even when God's way does not make sense to us, it is because we have no clue of the big picture.  So in layman's terms, get over yourself and realize God's way is the best way.

21 So then, no more boasting about human leaders! All things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23 and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.

We, as Christians, have everything we need and it ALL comes from God, through Christ.  It's not about your teacher or you background.  It's about Him.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

1 Corinthians 3:10-17

1 Corinthians 3:10-17
10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. 14 If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

As a Christian, our foundation is Jesus Christ.  His life, word and commands are to be the way we live.   These are the gold, silver and costly stones.  When we chose our own way and do what we want, even if it means disobedience, we build with wood, hay and straw.

A judgement is coming by God for us.  It will not be one that decides heaven or hell, because Christ paid the penalty for our sin.  This will will be for reward.  Gold and silver are purified with fire and precious stones are not effected by it at all.  Wood, hay and straw are consumed by fire and the life we lived will have been for nothing.  Oh we will still be saved, but to enter heaven empty handed is not our goal. Matthew 6:19-20  Matthew 13:52

16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.

When we accepted Christ's payment for our sin the Holy Spirit came to live within us.  How often I forget that he indwells me.  What do I force the Holy Spirit to watch?  Do I exercise?  Watch what I eat?  I'm not sure exactly what it means by "God will destroy that person", but the thought comes to mind of how many people each year die because people abuse their bodies.  Take care of you self and treat you body like the sacred temple it is.
 
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

1 Corinthians 3:1-9

1 Corinthians 3:1-9
Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. 

Are we growing?  Are we more like Christ this year than last?  

I'll read passages like this and get discouraged because there are areas in my life that have not budged in 25 years.  But then I remember were God is working in my life.  Sanctification is a life-long process.  It will not be done until we reach heaven.  Take courage in that, but don't quit surrendering each area of you life to God as the Holy Spirit brings it to mind.

For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?
What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

Don't argue about your teacher.  He or she is just a servant of God.  I am just a servant of God.  Should what I say contradict what you know to be true, call me on it.  Let's discuss.  I do not in anyway want to convey that I know everything.  I am merely a man who was so moved by God one day in Bible study that I HAD to share.  I you are moved, blessed or convicted by these studies then praise God for it is nothing that I have done.  Look to Him. 

What is most important is that God is honored and that you grow in him.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

1 Corinthians 2:6-16

1 Corinthians 2:6-16
We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written:
“No eye has seen,
    no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
    what God has prepared for those who love him”—

10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

God's plan of salvation was not revealed until he was ready to reveal it.  Christ's death was not a mistake, but part of God's plan.  He has a plan for those who love him too.

 11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.

The Holy Spirit know God better than anyone.  That is why He can help us understand salvation and our sanctification (becoming like Jesus) as we study God's word.

  13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. 14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment:

16 “For who has known the mind of the Lord
    that he may instruct him?”
But we have the mind of Christ.

I share in my bio that I only teach that which I am sure of.  When I don't know, I don't know and I don't grasp at answers.  If these scriptures make no sense to you pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal the answers to you.

This song is going through my head so I will close with it.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

1 Corinthians 2:1-5

1 Corinthians 2:1-5
When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.

Paul stood by when Steven was murdered and approved.  Paul persecuted the church with great conviction.  And yet with historical eyes we look back at all Paul accomplished for God and we are amazed.  

Are you poor in speech? Weak? Afraid?  You are the perfect person that God wants to work with.  He's not in need of an eloquent know-it-all those people are a dime a dozen. The Holy spirit can work through the most broken person for God's glory.  In that way all will see Christ and not this great speaker/teacher.

Will you become like Paul?  Not likely.  God had a mission for Paul and his mission is not yours.  However, God does have a mission for you and if you surrender to Him with all your heart it will be an incredible ride. Will people look back on your life and be amazed?  Maybe, but that is not our goal.  Our goal is to bring glory to God by sharing Christ's gospel through the power of the Holy Spirit.  No matter where you start in life, you can finish well.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Friday, January 18, 2013

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

1 Corinthians 1:18-31
18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written:
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
    the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”

In my walk with the Lord, I have had my days when I really think about the gospel.  Virgin birth, perfect life, had all the power in the universe and allowed his creation to put him to death and then rose on the third day.  
  • On a human level birth takes egg and sperm, if you're missing either one, you don't get a baby. 
  • No one can be perfect in everything they do, especially thought life.  
  • I know if I have the power to stop someone from hurting me, I'm going to stop it.  
  • Dead is dead.  People don't come back. 
I accept that Jesus did these things on faith, through the conviction of the Holy Spirit.  Thank you God for choosing me.  I could be on my way to hell, thinking those Christians are nuts.

20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.

The Jews were under Roman occupation.  They thought the Messiah was going to be a Military leader and set them free.  When Jesus was crucified, they dismissed Him and clung to their view of the Messiah.

26 Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”

I so needed these verses.  I keep screwing up and use those screw ups as reason to not serve God.  God chose me because I am a screw up.  He wanted the opportunity to show the world what he could do with a guy like me.  I know how bad I am, but I know how much worse I was before I began this journey of sanctification.  I've by no means arrived, but I will move forward with Him.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

1 Corinthians 1:10-17
10 I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. 11 My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12 What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.”

Does this mean that we NEVER disagree? No.  The context of these quarrels was pride of who their teacher was, like Harvard vs Princeton.  Their educator became more important than the gospel and the cause of Christ was lost in the debate.  It's not who your teacher is because ultimately your teacher is merely a servant of God.  It's the message that is important.

13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? 14 I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. 16 (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

Paul was aware of his place within the church and his calling.  He was an evangelist and he did his job to the glory of God and Jesus Christ.  He did not wish to be raised on a pedestal and glorified.  Which brings to mind the question of why do we serve in church?  Is it for God's glory or our own?
 
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,
To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The author is Paul and I am one of it's intended recipients.  No, Paul was not all knowing and did not have me personally in mind, but I am "sanctified in Christ Jesus".  If you have accepted Christ, then this letter is for you as well.

"Grace and peace from God our Father",  I need that today.  All Christians everywhere need that every day.

I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.

Take time to notice what God has done in the lives of others and thank God for the grace he has granted them to grow in Him.

For in him you have been enriched in every way—in all your speaking and in all your knowledge— because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you.

As a child of God do we believe this and live "enriched in every way"?  When people hear us speak is it a confirmation of our love and life for Christ or our we too busy talking about TV, sports, movies and politics that we forget that GOD is our only mission here on earth?   I must confess I too often forget who I am in Christ.

Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.

Do you know what your spiritual gift is?  Are you using it?  Are we eager for Christ to be revealed?  Take a serious look at your plans for today.  Where is Christ revealed in what you have planed?  What if he shows up today?  Are you ready?  I'm not. 

He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

God is faithful, and we must rely on Him.  He will keep us strong so that we will be blameless.  It is not anything that we do.

I will close with Paul's words.  "Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." 

Monday, January 14, 2013

James 5:13-20

James 5:13-20
13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 

Reliance and God and recognizing Him in all aspects of our lives.

15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.

My sister died of breast cancer and we prayed for her healing.  Does that make these verses a lie? NO!  Re-reading 15 and 16 together makes me think this is a sickness brought on by sin.  David in Psalm 51:8 talks of his bones being crushed and only after the sin came out that he began to heal. 

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.  17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

A righteous person is pursuing God.  They walk with God and listen to Him.  A righteous person prays within the will of God.  Therefore, God answers the prayers of the righteous.  Our prayers are not answered because we too often pray for our own selfish gain. (James 4:3)

19 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

It's not that we give them forgiveness, it's that our faithfulness in bringing them back to the faith prevents them from future sins. 

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.

Friday, January 11, 2013

James 5:7-12

James 5:7-12 
Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.

At 41 I am old enough to remember life before microwaves, cell phones and a computer in every home.  We live in a world of INSTANT gratification and information.  We want it NOW.  I've often said, "If God would just download his calendar to my iPod, I'd be all set.".  That because I don't want to wait.

Waiting involves trust.  It involves believing that God's plan is truly the best plan.  When we don't wait on God, we demonstrate our lack of faith and trust in God.

  Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

Grumbling against a brother or sister puts us in the place of God.  We don't know what God's plan is for us, never mind other people.  By grumbling we think we know what is best for others.  God is the Judge and you will answer to him.

10 Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

Be patient when you are suffering.  God has a plan and will bless you or others through it.  You may never know why you are suffering till you reach heaven and God reveals it to you.

12 Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.

Oaths are dangerous because you become bound by them. Just a simple yes or no and follow through on you word.  If you say yes and life gets in the way be honest and upfront.  Integrity, once lost, is hard to regain.  A bad reputation will hurt your testimony for Christ.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

James 5:1-6

Before we get into today's lesson I want to share this song.  Yesterday was not a good day.  I did not walk closely with the Lord.  Upon hitting the pillow last night I had a time of prayer.  I woke to this song on my head.  God is faithful even when I am not.



James 5:1-6 
Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.

Let's begin by making it clear that there is no sin in being rich.  The question lies in where you put your trust.  If you put all your trust in you money than you will be sorry.  Already here in the US and around the globe, money is losing value and people are going broke.  Trust in God, not in wealth.

Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.

Do you owe someone money for services and you did not pay?  Have you worked and not been payed?  God knows.  If you owe, pay.  If you are owed, trust in God.  He knows your needs and he loves you.

You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.

I love my country, however the US and its allies are involved in a shooting war in many different countries.  Now I am not against war.  There are times when they are necessary and I realize that innocent people die in war.  My issue and conviction is that people are dying all over the world, our military and government are involved, and to be honest I care more about my next meal and my next movie.  Not sure what I'm going to do about it, but it is the first thing that came to mind when I read these verses.

Not exactly an uplifting study today.  Sometimes we need to be shaken.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.

Monday, January 7, 2013

James 4:13-17

James 4:13-17
13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.

This NOT saying we don't make plans.  All to often Christians say, "God, this is my plan.  Rubber stamp it and make it happen.".  We must seek His will and see if our plans fit.  If they don't we need to get with God's plan.

17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

Have you ever felt like the Lord was prodding you about something and you did not obey?  Perhaps your reasoning is that other people are doing (____) and their Christian walk seems fine.  Or the fact that other Christians are not doing (_____) and their Christian walks seems fine.  Or perhaps it comes down to a choice and the better one is not the one you wish to do.

These are the practical day to day decisions the we as Christians must make.  This is how we grow.  If we come to a point and know what is right and we don't do it, we sin.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.

Thursday, January 3, 2013

James 4:1-12

James 4:1-12
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight.

Christmas time.  People are showing off their gifts.  Have you ever seen what someone received, that you did not receive, and said, "I hate you."  I do realize that phrase has become part of American culture, but be careful.  1 John 3:15 says if you hate your brother you are guilty of murder.  For most of us, that is the principle on which James is speaking.  You want something in your heart and you hate those that have it.  You do want ever you can to get it including racking up debt.  How many fights in a marriage start with money?

You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

Let's face it folks.  Our greed list grows very fast here in America.  Please understand I love my country, but we have turned our backs on God and turned to "stuff".  We stopped asking God because we know he is a good parent and will say "no".

You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us?

Do you really want to be an enemy of God?  

The Holy Spirit lives within each one of us who has accepted Christs payment for our sins.  When we choose to sin, He is forced to witness what we do.  This is the Spirit of God. He wishes for communion with God the Holy Spirit, yet we are forcing the Holy Spirit to witness filth.

  But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
“God opposes the proud
    but shows favor to the humble.”

Grace.  Praise God for grace.

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

When I stared listening to a Bible program that will help me through the Bible, I began to relax.  The Word was like salve to me.  God came near as these verses promise.

11 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

Some people will take these verses and accuse anyone who approaches them about sin in their life as judging them.  Not so. Matthew 18 is very clear on how we approach a brother or sister who is acting in a fashion contrary to scripture.  Mathew 7 warns us make sure we are not guilty of the sin we are about to approach our brother or sister about.

I believe this paragraph refers to those Christians who decide that a person is not saved.  Or they decide the person is beyond hope.  These Christians act like they are God and condemn the other.  We are NOT God.  We were sinners.  God chose us with all our faults and filth and gave us grace.  We need to extend that grace to others.  I smile at how appropriate the verses I close each days lesson with are today.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

James 3:13-18

James 3:13-18

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

If God told you to do something that needs to be done do it...and shut up about it.  Don't brag about how great you and you accomplishments are.

17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

Peacekeeping is easy.  It's done at the end of a gun.  The UN has been sending armed men into harms way to prevent people from killing each other.  The problem is once the armed men leave the war starts all over because the heart problem was never resolved.

Peacemaking is from God.  Each party thinks of the welfare of the other. 

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

James 3:1-12

Happy New year everybody.  I took an unplanned break from the blog.  Figure it's the first day of the year, let's start it with the Lord.  Had to smile at the providence of God in the topic of today's passage.  It was conviction of a recent conversation that got me to thinking I really need to start doing my Bible study again.

James 3:1-12  

Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.

I've said it before.  I do this blog with great respect for the Word of God knowing that all I say I will give an answer for.  This is the reason I am not afraid to say, "I don't know.".

We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. 

The entire body, I'll go so far as to say ones entire life is easier to maintain than the tongue. 
 
When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

So how do we tame it?  Galatians 5:16-17  16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. It really is that simple.  Every day recognize the you are a child of God.  Study His word and obey it.  You will not be perfect at first and the change will be gradual, but one day you will look back and realize how much of the filth that comes out of our mouths has changed. 

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.