Thursday, January 17, 2008

Firefighter

Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also 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. (James 3:5, 6, NIV)

You have to admit that James uses some pretty harsh words to describe the tongue. We don’t normally go around thinking of the source of our speech as being lit on fire by hell. We like to think that we are fairly in control of our tongue. And yes, the Bible is clear that as we grow in our relationship with Christ, the Holy Spirit will help us to control our speech. We are constantly growing and learning and maturing as we travel on this walk in our relationship with God.

However, it is just as true that we are and will remain very imperfect beings while here on earth. For that reason, I believe we are called as Christians to be fire-fighters when it comes to our tongue. I know that sounds a little strange, but step back and think for a moment about the last careless word that came out of your mouth. What kind of destruction ensued? Or what about the last argument you were in? What small thing was said by another person that just set your insides ablaze?

I believe that there are times when our tongue may cause an accidental or unintentional “fire”, times that we speak without thinking and unintentionally cause pain to a friend or loved one. Think of it as the fire that is lit when you carelessly set a candle too close to a curtain. Just that one thoughtless, even accidental, act can very quickly start a blaze.

There are other times when we find ourselves speaking negatively about someone (all under the guise of a “prayer request”, of course) and we find that fire spreading quickly and out of control.

Other times we are even guilty of causing our own personal “9/11”’s. In those instances, the damage from our tongue is swift, purposeful and hard-hitting. It devastates many lives, often including our own.

Regardless of the scenario or circumstances, the call is the same. We must act quickly to put out the fire to keep it from causing major destruction. We cannot minimize or ignore our actions or the consequences that ensue, hoping that they will just go away. We are called to be salt and light, not fire and destruction.

Let's memorize three verses that will help us to direct our thoughts and our speech toward the things that are right and good and then spend a week meditating on these verses.

Who wants to throw out some verses?....