"How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell." - James 3:6
When we think of fire, we may think of a small campfire to roast marshmallows, a wood stove fire that is contained, or possibly a raging inferno that is destroying a building or forest. James here is comparing our tongue to a fire. The sinful words that come out of our mouths have the power to destroy everything they touch, and like a fire can do so rapidly or slowly, but with dramatic effect either way. We should also be mindful of our speech because even if it's not directly what we say, the permeating "smoke" from our speech can destroy the things around us as well.
Often times even when we are filled with good and honorable actions, our tongue can stain, or contaminate, our body through the things that we say. I'm always one to say how it's more important to walk the talk to back up what we say, but what we say carries significant weight as well. And the things we say don't just impact us, and our personal relationship with God. Often what we say can cause hurt feelings or ill will for everyone around us, our whole circle of life. Just like in a fire, there is damage around the things that were burned.
I know this is an area I need to control more. Often times it really means just biting your tongue and walking away from a situation. That is not a sign of weakness, rather a sign of strength, being able to do what few men can do, tame the mighty tongue.
When we think of fire, we may think of a small campfire to roast marshmallows, a wood stove fire that is contained, or possibly a raging inferno that is destroying a building or forest. James here is comparing our tongue to a fire. The sinful words that come out of our mouths have the power to destroy everything they touch, and like a fire can do so rapidly or slowly, but with dramatic effect either way. We should also be mindful of our speech because even if it's not directly what we say, the permeating "smoke" from our speech can destroy the things around us as well.
Often times even when we are filled with good and honorable actions, our tongue can stain, or contaminate, our body through the things that we say. I'm always one to say how it's more important to walk the talk to back up what we say, but what we say carries significant weight as well. And the things we say don't just impact us, and our personal relationship with God. Often what we say can cause hurt feelings or ill will for everyone around us, our whole circle of life. Just like in a fire, there is damage around the things that were burned.
I know this is an area I need to control more. Often times it really means just biting your tongue and walking away from a situation. That is not a sign of weakness, rather a sign of strength, being able to do what few men can do, tame the mighty tongue.
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