I recently watched a reality TV show about controlling brush fires in Florida. Each year in advance of the summer fire season, the Florida Department of Environmental Conservation sends a crew into the large swamps to intentionally start brush fires to eliminate flammable material. The crew drives an air-powered boat through the swamps and shoots incendiary rounds into the bushes to start fires. It was a very random and very destructive process. After they were done, an aerial view showed the incredible carnage caused by one person with a hand-held fire gun.
As I thought about this story, it occurred to me that this is the same thing that we often do with our words. We often walk calmly into a group of people and launch firebombs at random without any concern to the damaging effect they cause. When used carelessly, our words can wreak havoc. The soul-wrenching effect on our neighborhood, school, group, or church can be staggering. This effect can be compounded 100 fold when we take to Facebook, Twitter, or other social media outlets. Technology now permits us to weaponize the tongue, and use it as a tool of mass destruction. Satan can only sit back and laugh when we fail to realize the damage that our tongue can cause to others.
The Apostle James tackles this subject in his letter. God inspired James to instruct new Christians with principles for living a Christ-like life. The Book of James covers many practical life issues that we all struggle with on a daily basis, including the use of our words.
“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” (James 3:5)!
James points out that despite the tongue’s small size, its power is great enough to set an entire forest ablaze. In this
understanding, the tongue is like a loaded gun. It should never be pointed at anyone without awareness of the potential danger it poses.
James continues in verse 6, “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 warns how the worst thoughts inside of us can be released on our life by the tongue. And the damage is not limited to ourselves. It extends to “the whole body.” James is alluding to the effect that our words can have on the church. The gospel writers frequently refer to the church as “the body”.
In verse 8, James writes, “but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” James seems fatalistic in this verse. He states that there is no human that can tame their tongue. So, what are we to do?
It is only through Jesus Christ and the power of his gospel that we have the ability to control our tongue. The gospel is the power of God to transform our hearts. And it is this radical change of heart accomplished by the person and work of Jesus Christ and applied by the Holy Spirit that empowers us to stop using our tongues for harm and to use them for good.
The psalmist shows us a way to positively use this small but significant member of the body. In Psalm 71:8 he writes, “My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all the day.”
We can use our tongue to declare God’s lordship in our life. We can acknowledge his transforming power in our heart, and lift our worship to him. And with our words, we can communicate the truths of Scripture to one another for the purpose of encouraging each other to greater godliness (Ephesians 4:29). These are the most excellent uses of our tongues along with offering our praises and prayers to the Father through Jesus Christ our Mediator (Philippians 4:6; 1 Timothy 2:5).
Take pause this week and consider your words and motivations before speaking. Is your tongue a destructive spark lighting wildfires all around? Or is it an instrument of worship and edification that proclaims the preeminence of Jesus Christ and his gracious work of redemption? Meditate on the gospel this week, and let it fuel a love for God and others. And finally, ask God to change your heart so that your words become a vehicle for worship instead of a tool for destruction.