James 3:11 Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water?
Our tongue is a spring that gushes out water. Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring (James 3:12). Similarly, sweet and salty water, blessing and curses does not come out of the same mouth. A spring is the result of an overflow of an aquifer (a body of permeable rock which can contain or transmit groundwater). The water quality, quantity and taste of the spring depends on various factors such as the size of the caverns, size of the spring base, the pressure in the aquifer and the amount of rainfall it receives. Salts, sulphur compounds, and gases can alter the taste and odour of the spring water. Sweet springs are those with no detectable sulphur or salt content. High content of hydrogen sulphide that smells like rotten eggs can make the water bitter.
Jesus said, Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them (John 7:38). The source of the spring determines its taste. A tamed tongue draws living water from the water source Jesus Christ.
Three causes of sweetness or bitterness to the words that pour out of our mouth:
1. Fresh: When the spring is replenished by fresh down pouring of rain, the spring water will be fresh, clean and sweet. Deuteronomy 32:2 My words will fall like showers on young plants, like gentle rain on tender grass. Reading the scriptures will help His precious Word to penetrate into the crevices of our heart and clean the cavern of our mouth. The tongue is perpetually kept soaked in saliva to remind us that it has to be continuously watered and cleansed with the Word of God. To tame the tongue, drench it with water of God’s Word, day and night.
2. Fount: The source of our water spring will determine the taste of the water. If the water is contaminated by sulphur and chloride, it will taste salty and if it is polluted by metallic gas it will taste bitter. Similarly, if the water basin of our heart is soaked in the scriptures, our spring of water that flows from our mouth will be sweet. If we hear music that swears, curses and spits out evil thoughts, our water basin will be polluted. If we watch or read obnoxious, filthy books and watch dirty movies, our water base will become soiled and our words will be dirty, salty and bitter. To tame the tongue, be soaked and hooked to the right source Jesus Christ.
3. Full: A spring is an aquifer that is filled to the point that the water overflows onto the land surface. Only a heart that is full of God’s Word, love, forgiveness, grace, mercy and wisdom can be flooded with the sweet life giving water. A heart that harbours bitter envy, selfish ambition and disorder cannot spring forth clean living water. When we are full of Jesus, we will burst forth streams of living water. A tamed tongue will overflow with the goodness of God and pour out life giving water.
To become a canal, conduit and channel of life giving water, our tongue must be tamed and connected to the living water source, Jesus Christ.
James 3:10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.
Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, I cannot tame the tongue with my own strength. Holy Spirit help me to bridle my tongue and always be connect to source Jesus Christ. Let streams of living water flow from my inner being through my tamed tongue. Amen
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