The Doorpost: An unwise word can start a fire

For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 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.
James 3:2-8

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Ephesians 4:29

How would you treat a loaded weapon if it were in your hand? For some, you wouldn’t touch it at all, or treat it very carefully when you did. Others, though, would brandish it carelessly and foolishly.

The care with which we should treat something so potentially dangerous as a loaded firearm should teach us something about our speech. Each of us has a loaded weapon; something that according to Proverbs 10:21 has life and death in it: our tongue.

James uses the illustration of a forest fire. A little fire can start a whole forest on fire—only one small spark can cause immense damage! Your tongue acts the same way, Christian. An unwise word spoken at an inopportune time can cause years of problems in a relationship with another person. Words, even with the best of intentions, can start great fires in relationships within Christ’s Church and in the world around us.

Ephesians 4:29 gives the other side of the picture. It tells us what our words should do. They should build up and help. They should solve problems rather than create problems. Words can so easily hurt (what Paul refers to as “corrupting talk”), but words spoken by the same tongue can also be used to help. This is what the Proverb means when it says “life” is in the tongue as well as death. In other words, to reuse James’ illustration, words can fight fires as well as start them.

Who can tame the tongue? “No man,” James tells us. But he also says that the tongue, when tamed, can bridle the whole body. God, by the work of His Spirit through the Word, can tame your tongue, Christian. Ask God for His help in taming your tongue during the next year. Decide today that your words do matter. Resolve to change the way you speak for the sake of Christ’s honor. By God’s grace, you can be, with your tongue, a fire fighter rather than a fire starter.