Teachers
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in plenty of ways. Anyone who's never at fault in what he says is perfect, able to keep his whole body in check.
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.
We all stumble in plenty of ways. Anyone who's never at fault in what he says is perfect, able to keep his whole body in check.
Bit, rudder, spark
When we put bits in horses' mouths to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships. They're huge, and they're driven by strong winds, but they're steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. In the same way the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes enormous claims. Think how a great forest is set alight by a small spark. And the tongue is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
When we put bits in horses' mouths to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal.
Or take ships. They're huge, and they're driven by strong winds, but they're steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.
In the same way the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes enormous claims. Think how a great forest is set alight by a small spark.
And the tongue is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
Nobody can tame it
Every kind of animal, bird, reptile and sea creature is being tamed and has been tamed by humans, but no one can tame the tongue. It's a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who've been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this shouldn't be. Can fresh water and salt water both flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
Every kind of animal, bird, reptile and sea creature is being tamed and has been tamed by humans,
but no one can tame the tongue. It's a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
With it we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who've been made in God's likeness.
Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this shouldn't be.
Can fresh water and salt water both flow from the same spring?
My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
Two kinds of wisdom
Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbour bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, don't boast about it or deny the truth. That sort of wisdom doesn't come down from heaven. It's earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. Because where you get envy and selfish ambition, you get disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure, then peace-loving, considerate, willing to give way, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
But if you harbour bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, don't boast about it or deny the truth.
That sort of wisdom doesn't come down from heaven. It's earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.
Because where you get envy and selfish ambition, you get disorder and every evil practice.
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure, then peace-loving, considerate, willing to give way, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.