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 body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
James 3:5-8
My dad preached the James passage above and taught us to see our tongues as though they were a poisonous snake kept in a cage of teeth. I'm a mammal, but my tongue is a snake.
A friend of mine used to work at a zoo handling dangerous animals. He told me, "It's the mammals you have to watch out for. They'll pretend like they like you but then turn on you when you're least expecting it. The reptiles (pythons, alligators, crocodiles) are easy. They hate you from the start and never pretend anything different."
I'll do much better in my life if I know that my tongue is a reptile, not a mammal that I'm trying to make friends with.
Knowing my words have the power for so much evil, I need to monitor them closely using the filter of Ephesians 4:29. Here's the Message version: “Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.”
Each word a gift.
Lord, please help us to be strict with our tongues. Help us to give out gifts all day with our words instead of releasing our venom.
No comments:
Post a Comment