OUR DAILY BREAD Friday, May 26, 1995 --------------- READ: James 3:1-8 TAMING A TIGER "No man can tame the tongue." - James 3:8 My granddaughter Bree loved the circus, but she was afraid of the tiger. She had no reason to be, however, because the huge old cat had been tamed and was caged. It was hopelessly overweight, and I suspect it no longer had any teeth. Along with its lion friends, the striped beauty went through its routine in meek subjection. You can tame a tiger, a lion, a leopard, a cheetah, and other wild animals, especially if you work with them from birth. But according to the apostle James, you cannot tame the human tongue. He wrote, "It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison" (3:8). James used other vivid analogies to illustrate the enormous power of this little member of the body. A bit in a horse's mouth can turn the animal to the right or to the left (v. 3). A ship's rudder can steer a huge vessel in a raging storm (v. 4). A single match or even a small spark can start a fire that can destroy an entire forest (v. 5). So too, though the tongue is a small organ, it can do great harm. Even under the strictest self-discipline and constant monitoring, the tongue's unruly nature lurks danger- ously below the surface. You can tame a tiger, but only by prayer and watchfulness can you control your tongue. -- David C. Egner Lord, set a watch upon my lips, My tongue control today; Help me evaluate each thought And guard each word I say. -- Hess ------------------------------------------- THOUGHT FOR THE DAY ------------------------------------------- He cannot speak well who cannot hold his tongue. ------------------------------------------- THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 1-4 ============================================================= Our Daily Bread, Copyright 1995, used by permission of Radio Bible Class, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49555, USA. ODB files are being archived at ICLnet by arrangement with Radio Bible Class. RBC is presently developing its own servers and we look forward to RBC's official presence here on the internet in the near future. Written permission to distribute must be obtained from Radio Bible Class. RBC provides a variety of Bible resources, which are free of charge. RBC is not funded by any group or denomination, and support comes voluntarily from its Members and Friends. Write for more information, or call 1-800-598-7221. Thanks to Ken Foster for establishing the email list from which this copy of Our Daily Bread originated. A subscription is also available from the "ODB List" which may be subscribed to directly. Send a blank email message, with the word SUBSCRIBE in the subject line, to: odb-request@sptekwv14.wv.tek.com. RBC publications are also available at The Gospel Communica- tions Network: http://www.gospelcom.net/rbc/odb/. - ICLnet ============================================================= ------------------------------------------------------- file: /pub/resources/text/Our.Daily.Bread: db950526.txt .