Fire Lighting or Ship Steering?
At the back of the manse we are privileged to have a wonderful view of the Mourne Mountains. In our time here we’ve seen them in many different and beautiful ways. They’ve been snow clad, they’ve had cotton ball clouds resting on their peaks, banks of clouds below their peaks, and so clear you feel you could reach out and touch them from the back door. …But back in April of this year I had a view I don’t want to see again - angry red fires, dark smoke, charred scrub and fatigued firefighters - Slieve Donard was on fire! …It’s estimated some 100 firefighters for 3 days fought to put out a fire that spread over 7.5 kilometres. …And all of that came from one spark - a tiny flame. It’s a point James makes when he writes about the damage an unrestrained tongue can do. …Lets go to the reading:
James 3:5-6 [5] 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. [6] 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.
In this section James is making the point that the tongue directs the course of the whole body, and indeed can be the instrument that sets a chain of events in place that have awful consequences. …I’ve read that some 75 million people died in World War II, including about 20 million military personnel and 40 million civilians, many of whom died because of deliberate genocide, massacres, mass-bombings, disease, and starvation. And at the root of all that devastation were the words of one man. The fiery rhetoric of Adolf Hitler was the spark that lit the flames of WW2.
But our words have negative impact on a more local level as well. Little fires are started by harmful words. They split close friendships, they tear families apart, the wrong use of words cause worry, depression and fear “…words wound.”
However the same principle is true in reverse - words heal, words can bring untold blessing. The right words set the course and direction of a life, indeed many lives. That too is a point James makes in the preceding verses.
James 3:3-4 [3] When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. [4] Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.
A wise and godly use of the tongue directs a day, directs a lifetime, …is an right influence on many. …The pure, perfect and all-wise Words of God have been given to the Christian to direct their life, and when on their lips bring blessing to others. …Yes the human tongue may be an untameable part the body, but the heart that is filled with God’s Word has a message of hope and healing for the world.
So how do you want your tongue to be used - to light a fire or to steer a ship. Lets pray.
Heavenly Father I recognise that the use of my tongue has consequences. Help me to meditate on your perfect Word so that what comes out of my mouth is a blessing to others. Amen.