Just One More Word

 

So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. 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. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. (James 3:5–10 ESV)

 

In February of last year a brush fire broke out in West Texas (pictured here). It was several weeks before it was brought under control. The Smokehouse Creek Fire burned an estimated 1,058,482 acres (1,653.878 sq miles) in Texas and Oklahoma and was completely contained on March 16, becoming the second largest fire in US history dating back to 1988. It started on Monday, February 26, one mile north of Stinnett in Hutchinson County, Texas. There were two fatalities in this fire, as well as millions of dollars of damage done.

 

While we often live under the threat of fire in our area, we have been fortunate, and nothing has been an imminent danger to us. The closest we’ve come to such a disaster is 20 miles from us. All these fires typically begin with a mere spark. This is the image James calls to mind in our reading today. He says that poorly chosen words are like sparks that cause a great fire. Both bring immeasurable damage. A little gossip runs its course, and who knows how much damage it causes! A careless word is spoken, and a person is left wounded and scarred for a lifetime.

 

The good news is that the fruit of the Spirit is self-control. Though “no human being can tame the tongue,” the Spirit of God can. When we walk in step with the Spirit, we will notice that the Spirit helps us to control our tongues. And, says James, “with the wisdom that comes from heaven,” self-control in other areas of life follows. Godly wisdom brings peace, love, humility, mercy, and good fruit for life the way God intends it to be. Be careful in your speech!