The Most Powerful Muscle in Your Body

James 3:6 (ESV)

And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.

We don’t often consider it, but when we watch an athlete’s performance, we are watching an amazing symphony of a dozen human systems seamlessly working together, including the circulatory, respiratory, skeletal and muscular systems. If we just consider the muscular system, we have approximately 650 muscles performing the actions we are consciously undertaking such as walking or lifting, but also many which are constantly working unconsciously to perform tasks such as maintaining our posture or circulating blood or other materials around our body. A common question is “what is the strongest muscle in the body”?  And there isn’t one answer to this question because it depends on how you are measuring it.  According to Everyday Mysteries, the following are muscles that have been deemed the strongest based on various definitions of strength.

Eye Muscles   In 1 hour of reading the eye muscles make 10,000 coordinated movements

Gluteus Maximus - largest muscle in body keeps trunk of body in erect position

Heart - hardest working muscle pumps about 2,500 gallons of blood each day

Tongue - the hardest worker it is constantly working but never tires

 I found the above list interesting and noted that one of those muscles gets specifically mentioned in the Bible as being extremely powerful; however, as athletes, it’s probably not one that we frequently consider.  James 3: 1-12 does a wonderful job of explaining the power of the tongue.  After reading this passage you can’t help but nod your head.  It likely allows you to consider things you have said to others, or what others have said to you. James sums it up in verses 9 and 10 by saying: “9 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.”

How is it that our tongue can move so quickly from producing something fragrant to producing what James calls “poison” (vs. 8)?  When I consider times where I am not doing well in this area of my life, I can generally see that there is a deeper issue going on in my life.  Our words are typically just symptoms and not root causes.  Jesus explains: “The good man brings good things out of the good treasure of his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil treasure of his heart. For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45).  While we are “new creations” (2 Corinthians 5:17), as Christians we continue to walk the journey of sanctification, where we battle our old self (Romans 7: 15-20), and the “evil” inside us usually comes out through our words.  In James 3:8, we read:   but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.  But God can tame our tongue, as long as we remain humble and invite him to continually sanctify us to become more like him.  When your tongue spews poison, be quick to repent and pray daily that your powerful tongue can instead be used to dispense medicine in a hurting world.

Dear Lord, help us to tame our tongue. Give us the strength we need so that we can bring honor to You in all that we do and say. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Holes in the fence

Proverbs 18:21 (ESV)

Death and life are in the power of the tongue,

    and those who love it will eat its fruits.

Here is an old and powerful story.

There once was a boy who had a very bad temper. His Father gave him a bag of nails and told him that from now on, each time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into their beautiful white picket fence. The first day the boy drove in thirty-seven nails.

Over the next few weeks, he learned to control his anger -- the number of nails he hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to go outside and drive those nails into the fence. When he told his father about this, he suggested that the boy now start pulling out a nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. Finally, the day came when the young boy was able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.

That evening, he took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, "Son, you have done well but look at the holes you've made here. Our beautiful fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger to the people you love, they leave deep, ugly holes just like these. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound will still be there".

This is a good reminder for us today. Our tongue is a powerful force! With it, we need to be bringing words of life and encouragement to those around us!

Dear Lord, help us watch the things that we say. We pray that You will give us the power to tame our tongue. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Let's master our tongues!

Proverbs 18:21 (ESV)

 Death and life are in the power of the tongue,

    and those who love it will eat its fruits.

We talk a lot, don't we? But do we really say anything important? Let us consider some of the greatest words known to mankind.

The Declaration of Independence -- 300 words. The Gettysburg Address -- 266. The Lord's Prayer -- 56 words. Jesus' words to us, the great commission, "Go ye" -- only 2 words!

On the other hand, not long ago, the U.S. government issued an order setting the price of cabbage -- 26,911 words!

Let's master our tongues! With it we can speak life, blessing, and encouragement to all those around us today!

Dear Lord, we pray that we would get a handle on our tongue and use our words in a manner that would bring honor to You. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Are You Ready to Eat Your Words?

We hear of many people who say they wish they could take back words they have previously used. We have also heard of others who wanted to make others "eat their words." Well, the celebrated 17th century German political historian Philipp Andreas Oldenburger had just that pleasure. It seems that Oldenburger became a little free-spirited in his criticism of the authorities in his pamphlet writings. He was arrested, found guilty, and given a most unusual sentence: "eat your own writings." And that is exactly what he was forced to do.


He writes in his memoirs that he was forced under the threat of a flogging, to eat every last shred of paper of his pamphlets. Talk about having to eat your own words! Maybe those of us whose tongues constantly commit the sin of gossip ought to be aware that words can have a devastating effect on others - and on them!






The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.


- Proverbs 12:18 (New International Version)






Dear Lord we pray that we will watch what we say. We want to say the things that would build others up and not tear them down. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Guard Your Tongue

A man working in the produce department was asked by a lady if she could buy half a head of lettuce. He replied, "Half a head? Are you serious? God grows these in whole heads and that's how we sell them!" 

"You mean," she persisted, "that after all the years I've shopped here, you won't sell me half-a-head of lettuce?"

"Look," he said, "If you like I'll ask the manager." 

She indicated that would be appreciated, so the young man marched to the front of the store. "You won't believe this, but there's a lame-braided idiot of a lady back there who wants to know if she can buy half-a-head of lettuce." 

He noticed the manager gesturing, and turned around to see the lady standing behind him, obviously having followed him to the front of the store. "And this nice lady was wondering if she could buy the other half" he concluded. 

Later in the day the manager cornered the young man and said, "That was the finest example of thinking on your feet I've ever seen! Where did you learn that?"

Do you find yourself having to think fast because of what you said? What a blessing it would be if we could guard our tongue and not have to think fast to get out of the many troubles our tongue can cause.

For we all stumble in many ways If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. Now if we put the bits into the horses' mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well. Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires. So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire!

- James 3:2-5 (New American Standard Bible)

Dear Lord we pray that we will be mindful of the things out tongues says. Please help us to be able to guard our tongue so that we don’t hurt those around us with the things we say. In Jesus’ name,  Amen

A patient tongue

Responding quickly to aggravation, threat, insult, or difficulty suggests strength to many folks today. However, responding hastily out of anger is foolish. This response seldom produces the desired long term effect and nearly always compounds the problems that need to be addressed. Patiently dealing with frustrating and painful situations shows understanding and is nearly always more fruitful in the long run.

A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly.
— Proverbs 14:29

Dear Lord, I ask for patience and self-control. I know these virtues are part of the fruit of your Spirit's presence in my life, so I ask that the Holy Spirit have more impact on my heart and life. Please give me the understanding and wisdom to keep my mouth shut until I have had an opportunity to pray and think about the issues and people involved. In Jesus' name , Amen.