Jordan Whittington 11/19/25 Jordan Whittington 11/19/25

The Untamable Tongue

James 3:6–8
6 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. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

Big Claim: No human can tame the tongue.

Fourteen years of marriage has taught me that Carlin and I respond to the seemingly impossible differently. Carlin acknowledges something is impossible and moves on. I want to prove the impossibility wrong. Telling me something is impossible is fuel to make me give my absolute best to overcome it.

James says it is impossible to tame the tongue. He even reminds us that we can tame the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and creatures of the sea, but we cannot tame the tongue.

For some of you, that removes the responsibility of attempting to corral your tongue. If it is impossible, why even struggle with it? This is not the right response. James is not telling us it is impossible in order to excuse us from the endeavor.

James says no person can tame the tongue. As sons and daughters still prone to sin each day, we are not able to perfect our lives—much less our speech. Yet, as in our battle against sin, this does not excuse us to thoughtless living. Through the power of the Holy Spirit within us, we can make strides in our sanctification toward using our tongue in a godly manner.

That is why James has wisely encouraged us to be quick to listen and slow to speak (1:19).
That is why James calls us to be careful about what responsibility we take on (3:1).
That is why James has called us to pray for wisdom (1:5).

While perfection is unattainable, faithful effort empowered by the Holy Spirit is within our grasp.

Will you fight the good fight in the impossible task?
Will you attempt to control your tongue?

Pray:
Psalm 141:3 — Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!

Jordan Whittington 11/18/25 Jordan Whittington 11/18/25

Words are windows to our heart!

Luke 6:45 – The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Big Idea: Words are a window to the heart.

In Luke 6, Jesus is teaching on the continuity that should be present within a person. A good tree should bear good fruit. One commentator made the profound statement, “We are not trees,” but his point is good. Good and godly people should produce good and godly things, but unlike trees, people lack perfect consistency; therefore, inconsistency is not proof of unbelief—but it is still revealing.

With continuity in mind, Jesus teaches that we should not be surprised by or ignore what comes out of our mouths, because the mouth is merely an outpouring of what is in our heart.

The mouth speaks what is in the heart.
So are you spewing slander? Check your heart!
Are you quick to judge? Check your heart!
Are you known to be arrogant or self-centered? Check your heart!

While you may not be able to spot any obvious or outward sins in your life, watch closely how you speak, for it may reveal hidden sinfulness that needs to be addressed.

Our words are a window to our heart. What does your speech reveal about the condition of your heart today?

Pray this:
Psalm 51:10 – Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Jordan Whittington 11/17/25 Jordan Whittington 11/17/25

Words Matter

James 1:26
If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless.

Words matter.

While it is natural to compartmentalize our life, it is not biblical. Just as James taught that we cannot cherry-pick which laws to follow and which to ignore, we cannot speak without thought. James connects integrity of life to integrity of speech because both expose the heart.

BIG IDEA: Are you undoing your witness with your words?

Is your choice of words unfit for a follower of Jesus? Do you need to change the language you use each day? We must move from the question of “Can I say that?” to “Should I say that?” It is less about the freedom of word choice and more about the wisdom of how we use our words.

More than specific words, are you undoing your witness in the way you use your words? Are you quick to judge, susceptible to slander, greedy to know the gossip? Are you trustworthy with information? Are you constantly critical or quick to gripe?

Words matter.

James is clear in 1:26 that a failure to contain and control our words will refute our religion.

What step do you need to take today to combat the thoughtlessness with which you have handled your words?

Pray this:
God, help me be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.

Jordan Whittington 11/14/25 Jordan Whittington 11/14/25

Pursue Gentleness

1 Timothy 6:11–12
11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things [love of riches and dissension]. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Pursue Gentleness

Hear John MacArthur’s description of gentleness: Gentleness, better translated as meekness, is a humble and gentle attitude that is patiently submissive in every offense, while having no desire for revenge or retribution. In the New Testament, it is used to describe three attitudes: submission to the will of God, teachability, and consideration of others.

Be honest: What do you think of gentleness?

Most of you are not a fan of this attitude and have very little desire to pursue this. Gentleness feels weak and wimpy. It seems as though it gets taken advantage of and fails to do what is necessary, and yet we are called to pursue gentleness.

Nearly everything within me wants to fight against this concept of gentleness until the Holy Spirit begins to convict me. For me, gentleness is synonymous with weakness until God shows me a better way. Sanctification is the process of God the Spirit making me more like God the Son. As I look at the life of Jesus, I see a man who embodied the gentleness described above. Jesus did not seek retribution or revenge. Jesus did not take vengeance on those who harmed Him. Jesus endured.

The life that God calls us to live is a life that looks different than the world. We are to live questionable lives, and one way in which our life is questionable is when we live out gentleness. Gentleness is displayed:

When we do not slander those who take advantage of us.
When we do not take revenge on those who take from us.
When we forgive those who have harmed us.

When we choose gentleness, we choose to look like Jesus.

Practical Ways to Pursue Gentleness:

Release a grudge today.
Pray for someone who frustrates you.
Pause before reacting.

Jordan Whittington 11/13/25 Jordan Whittington 11/13/25

Pursue Steadfastness

Following Jesus is hard.
It is hard to die to self.
It is hard to be humble, meek, and selfless.
It is hard to love your neighbor as yourself.
It is hard to trust God in the chaos of life.

Enter Steadfastness.

Steadfastness is to be firm, faithful, and committed to God no matter the circumstances. Steadfastness is not wavering in the waves of life. It is to be resolute in your commitment.

Paul encourages his protégé Timothy to pursue steadfastness. Words like perseverance, endurance, and allegiance pop to mind when I think of this pursuit.

Why does this matter today?
First, because life is hard. Trials come. Temptation is tempting. Obedience is challenging.

Another reason steadfastness matters is in our present situation. We live in a day of redefinitions of long-held concepts. A battle over truth is raging in the public arena and is infiltrating churches as well. The phrase “my truth” is being thrown around as a legitimate concept when the very phrase is oxymoronic. Truth is truth. “My truth” turns the objective into a subjective concept.

So pursue steadfastness. Pursue fidelity to the truth. Pursue allegiance to what God says even when the world disagrees. Stand strong in the Word of God and do not be swayed by the “wisdom of the world.” Give no ground to the new ideologies that directly contradict what we have been taught from the Bible.

We are not being loving by simply being accepting. In fact, as we condone lies, we are doing more harm than good. We are approving what should not be accepted.

Pursue steadfastness. Fight the good fight. Remain committed to the convictions of Scripture.