 |
| Share Agape for the week of June 16, 2003 |
| The Power Of Our Tongue James 3:3�17 �When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 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. 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. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God�s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth�For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.� What is the greatest weapon of all time? The atomic bomb? Chemicals? Biological weaponry? Well, this Biblical passage (and others like it) tell us that in all of humanity, the tongue is one of our greatest weapons. Take a moment and let that thought sink in. Then consider how many thousands�millions!�of people go to counselors and psychologists each year, vainly trying to heal themselves of the negative effects of the tongue. To paraphrase and correct and old childhood saying: �Sticks and stones may break your bones�but words will hurt you even more.� When Jesus� brother James wrote this week�s passage of the Bible, he used several vivid images to convey this crucial concept. First, he points out that our mouths need �bits,� just like horses� mouths do. For those of you who�ve never been around horses, a �bit� is thin piece of metal that goes into a horses� mouth, between it�s teeth. When a rider pulls on the reigns, the bit pinches the sides of the horse�s mouth, communicating exactly what the rider wishes the horse to do. Christians also wear bits. Namely, the Bible and the Holy Spirit. At times it may be difficult�even painful�for us to follow our bits, but they will never fail to tell us what to do and where to go. Repeatedly, the Bible tells us that what comes out of our mouths is never inconsequential. I�m quite sure each and every one of us has negative words (whether spoken by our parents, our teachers, our friends, or our enemies) scorched into our brains and, from time to time, we re�live those harsh words said against us. And if you�re honest, I think you�ll have to admit that there are words you�ve said at some point in your life that you now passionately wish you could take back. Truly, words are far more powerful than most of the world acknowledges. This passage also compares the tongue to a ship�s rudder. If you look at a ship, not knowing anything about its workings, the little rudder at the bottom might seem insignificant. But as soon as you educate yourself about how a ship works, you�ll find that incorrect use of the rudder quickly leads the entire ship to destruction. Similarly, our tongues might seem ordinary and insignificant, but God tells us that when we use them improperly, that small organ can quickly lead us�and those around us�to destruction. As Christians, we must be especially vigilant to mind our tongues, or we may lead others away from God, instead of closer to Him. (For more on this topic, see the first issue of Share Agape) In this way, our tongues are exactly like a spark that becomes a flame that destroys an entire forest. If this idea seems over�the�top and melodramatic to you, let me offer a real life example of how Christians� tongues pushed someone away from God. Mahatma Gandhi is generally considered one of the great men of the 20th century. He fought to free India from British rule, and his affect upon politics and society was profound. Gandhi was interested in Christianity and attended a number of Christian churches, but, ultimately, he walked away disillusioned. Why? Because one Sunday when he was trying to attend a church service, an elder approached him and said, �Where do you think you're going, kaffir?� (�Kaffir� is a racially derogatory word.) Later, Gandhi said, �It�s just that so many of you Christians are so unlike your Christ.� That church elder�s harsh words (and probably the words of many other Christians Gandhi encountered) turned this famous and powerful man away from Christ. I can only speculate how history might have been improved if Gandhi had instead been embraced with Christian agape. MORE ~~~> |
 |
 |
 |