The LORD looks at the heart.

Practical Christianity:

The LORD looks at the heart

JAM 3:1-6

The tongue and its potential for evil are also a major big deal for Jesus and for Paul.

MAT 5:21-25

JAM 1:19-20

If you want to be the friend of the Lord, learn to control your tongue.

Loving somebody includes things that you do for them, and things that you don’t do against them!

Gossip. Maligning. Insults. Put downs. Threats. Curses.

When it comes to the sins of the tongue, the root of the matter is a lack of love.

EPH 4:29

Thank God that our tongue can also be used for building up rather than tearing down - for love , rather than hate.

EPH 4:31-32 - EPH 5:1-2

Both love and hate reside in the heart.

And the quickest, most direct route for what is in your heart to come out - is through your tongue.

MAT 12:33-37

JAM 3:6

MAT 15:10-20

Why all the fuss about the tongue?
 
What we say reflects what is in our heart.

James, ultimately, is most concerned about the condition of the hearts of his people.

JAM 4:6-8

MAT 5:1-12

Throughout the letter, as he brings up the tongue, and the behavior of his people,

James never takes his eye off the ultimate issue - the hearts of his people.

JAM 5:7-8

The entire letter can be seen as James mapping out two paths or ways that the people’s hearts could go.