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Scripture and questions for study and reflection:

Read James 3:1-12.

1. Pastor Mick talked about the \\u201cpower and perils\\u201d of speech. What did he mean by that? In what way is speech powerful? What are some perils?

2. Why does James say that teachers will be \\u201cjudged more strictly\\u201d? What teachers is he talking about? Who are these kinds of teachers in our lives today?

3. In Matthew 18:6, Jesus discusses how important children are to him and the penalties for causing them to stumble. How is that passage related to what James is talking about today?

4. Isaiah said, \\u201cWoe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips...\\u201d How does this passage relate to what James is discussing? What hope is there for people of unclean lips?

5. Pastor Mick shared this quote from his commentary:\\u201cThe real peril of the tongue is not found in the passing angry word or the incidental oath or the petty bit of slander. It is found in the creation of distorted worlds of meaning within which the word of truth is suppressed.\\u201d What does this mean? How does this fit the examples he gave of modern-day advertising and politics?

6. Why do you think James compares the tongue to a bit in a horse\\u2019s mouth, a ship\\u2019s rudder and a spark that starts a forest fire?

7. James says the tongue \\u201cis a restless evil full of deadly poison.\\u201d What does he mean by that? In what ways can it be poison?

8. Why does James say that praising and cursing should not come from the same mouth?

9. Jesus says, \\u201cOut of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.\\u201d (Luke 6:45/Matthew 12:34) How is this relevant to the power and perils of speech discussed today?

Prayer of the Week:
Lord Jesus, forgive us for the times we\\u2019ve said things we should not have said. Forgive us for the hurtful, sometimes even hateful, things that spew out of our mouths, sometimes even in your name. Help us to do better. Change our hearts to be more like yours, so our words will be what you would have us say. May the meditations of our hearts and the words of our mouths always be acceptable to you. Amen.