James 3:4

"Behold, the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by. very small rudder, wherever the inclination of the pilot desires."Behold" -There is valuable lesson here to be learned, "as. call to closer attention, consideration and contemplation, remember, consider" (Arndt p. 371). "the ships also, though they are so great" -"turning next to the largest inanimate object that James's contemporaries might attempt to steer….Some of them were indeed very large. The Egyptian grain ship on which Paul was shipwrecked carried 276 passengers in addition to its cargo (Acts 27:37)" (Kent p. 118)"still directed by. very small rudder" -Again, the point is made that something very small can control something very powerful. Such large ships, even when in rough weather, could still be steered with precision by. small rudder.

Points To Note:

1. "How are we going to make it through the storms of life, with fierce winds seeking to destroy us? What will keep us safe in the storm? What we say in the midst of our problems determines whether we will have victory or not…It is easy to praise God when the sun is shining" (Draper p. 101). 2. The tongue is like the bit and the rudder, "Each is comparatively small, but each produces great effect" (Adamson pp. 142-143). 3. "The tongue is little, like the rudder of the ship; but, just as the rudder can determine the course of the large ship, so the tongue was the power to influence. man's whole course and destiny" (Roberts p. 128).