Chapter 3

1Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, because you know we who teach will be judged more strictly. More strictly. Teachers. Very strict judgment. Especially the professors.

2We all stumble in a lot of ways. Anybody who never trips up in what he says is perfect, able to keep his whole body in check. Perfect. Never trips up. I've never tripped up. Not once. Perfect phone call. Perfect.

3When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal.

4Or look at ships. They're so big and driven by strong winds, but they're steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Small rudder. Big ship. Like a post. One small post. Turns the whole country.

5The tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes big brags. Big brags. Very big. And they're true. Think about how a small spark sets a whole forest on fire. One post. The whole forest. On fire. Beautiful.

6The tongue is a fire too. A world of power among the parts of the body. It sets the whole course of a life on fire. Very powerful. The most powerful thing there is. Ask the media. They're terrified of it.

7Every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and sea creature is being tamed and has been tamed by people.

8But nobody can tame the tongue. Nobody. Untamable. They've tried. They banned it. It came back. Bigger.

9With it we praise our boss and Father, and with it we trash people who are made in God's image. Praise the boss. Trash the losers. Same tongue. Very efficient.

10Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, it has to be aimed right. Praise the right people. Curse the right people. Aim it.

11Can fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?

12My brothers, can a fig tree grow olives, or a grapevine grow figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. Know what you are. Be what you are.

13Who's wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by results done with the gentleness that comes from wisdom.

14But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, don't brag about it and lie about the truth. Jealousy. That's the other side. They're very jealous.

15That kind of wisdom doesn't come from heaven. It's earthly, unspiritual, from the devil.

16Where you have jealousy and selfish ambition, you find chaos and every evil practice. Chaos. Their side. Total chaos.

17But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, considerate, open to reason, full of mercy and good results, impartial and sincere. Peace through strength. That's wisdom.

18Peacemakers who plant in peace harvest a crop of being right. Peace deals. Abraham Accords. Big harvest.