Corona Devo 1966


I'm not very well-versed in horsemanship, but I know that a bridle is headgear for a horse that involves straps and a bit-piece placed in a horse's mouth, with which a human uses to steer, train, or control the horse. 

An (often metal) piece fitted into your mouth and controlled by pressure or pain will do the trick in managing behavior, and that's probably why bridles (in some form) have been utilized ever since humans have documented their activity with horses. 

The power of a bridle in affecting (controlling) behavior makes it all the more interesting and appropriate to see that God chooses the word bridle in James 1:26 to refer to the controlling/steering/training of our tongue.

If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.  ~James 1:26

Specifically, if we think (or another translation says "claim") ourselves to be religious (followers of Christ)...then we had better watch our tongue.  

But God doesn't just say "watch" our tongue, does He?  He says "bridle our tongue".  

We had better steer our tongue.  Train our tongue.  Control our tongue.  And (please Lord help us to) bridle our tongue today if we think (claim) we are religious.

Because...

We can look the part of a Christ follower.  

We can read the Bible, and have the head-smarts and even the Bible-knowledge of being a Christ follower.

Our volunteer/service hours, mission trips, weekly schedule, and even our checkbook can pay homage to being religious and a follower of Christ.  But what about our words?  What rolls off our tongue and sneaks out of our heart? 

What is the overflow of our heart?  Our words will be telltale of our hearts.  We can act/appear/portray many things, but what spews from our lips when we are angry/scared/stressed/relaxed/off-guard/or candid--this is really what is bubbling up and out of our heart.  This reveals our true "religion" and what fills our faith.

A good man from the good stored up in his heart brings out what is good; and an evil man from the evil stored up brings out what is evil; for from the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.  ~Luke 6:45

Frightening isn't it?

~~~

If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.  ~James 1:26

James 1:26 has always been a convicting verse for me.  My sins are just as varied and as filthy-ragged (But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags...  ~Isaiah 64:6) as anyone else's, but if I had to select an area where I fall most frequently throughout the days and duration of my life...it is with my words being unbridled.  

I do think I am religious (a follower of Christ), but (so often!) I do not bridle my tongue.  

The Lord knows us inside and out, and He calls us on the carpet when He says (in His Word) that we deceive (trick) our own heart when we don't keep a bridle on our tongue.  And worse: our religion is worthless.

I can't think of anything worse, or more dishonoring to our Lord than our religion (faith/testimony/example) being worthless.  Our God is worth more.

So, let's zip it.  

Shhhhhhhhh.

Let's bridle our tongues today.

Let's steer our words and train our temperaments and control our uncontrolled responses.

But how?  By trying harder?  Having a more firm resolve?  By getting an actual bridle fitted to our mouth? 

Lord, we want to follow You.  We want to be religious, if that means (in this sense) reflecting You and Your ways...but we cannot get there without You.  The bridling of our tongue does not just "happen"-- we must be "fitted" by You, Father.  Our best efforts to Shhhh will always fail, and our comments and anger and sin will perpetually bubble up, unless You bridle our tongue and our sinful spirit.  Humble us today, Lord.  May we lower our head and submit to the fitting of Your holy bridle into our often unholy mouth.  Amen.

If we thought we could do this "faith thing" on our own, we have been deceiving our own heart, and odds are that our tongue has revealed us.

Please, Lord, don't let our religion (service to You) be useless. Quiet our spirit and our tongue today, unless the words are Yours.  Amen.

You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.  ~I Peter 3:4

~~~

The idea (and reality) of my (unbridled) tongue causing my testimony-of-Christ to be useless is painful.  Very painful.  

Perhaps that Biblical Truth can be like a bridle fitted into our mouth.  The dishonoring of our Savior is a pressure and pain that will (hopefully) do the trick in managing our behavior and tongues today.

Father, we want to think and BE religious (followers of You).  Help us to bridle our tongue today.  No longer allow us to deceive our own heart.  And Lord, please, do not allow our tongue to render our religion useless.  Use us!  Loose our tongues to speak and serve You today.  Amen.


Blessings,  

sarah  

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com


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