James 3:5-6: The Tongue Is A Fire

"How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness" (James 3:5-6).

The enemy within my soul has the power and desire to not only destroy me, but to ruin others as well. The decay of relationships, destruction of peace and absolution of unity are the attainable goals of an unbridled tongue. There is nothing that inflicts more damage on the church than Christians who do not have the necessary self-control to be disciplined in their speech. At times the church can resemble a middle school playground, where children whisper malicious rumors and half-truth lies, destroying reputations by taking vengeance over pitifully insignificant offenses. Our Americanized church culture has adapted the notion of "free speech" to mean "I can say whatever feels right without guarding against sinful heart motives." As a result, school yard slanderers morph without maturity into back-pew whisperers and busybodies whose childish behavior continues quite embarrassingly into adulthood because it wasn't sufficiently reprimanded. Our enemy's preferred way of stopping the gospel is to convince adults it's perfectly acceptable to act like children; to complain when things don't go their way, tattle when wronged and manipulate the emotions of others when felt needs are not instantly met. When you see the fire of an unbridled tongue, or hear words spoken without restraint, don't waste time and allow it to be kindled by idleness. Put the fire out! For the preservation of the church, put the fire out. Christians who speak like this do not benefit from a hearing, they are served by a muzzle. Actually, someone who speaks with an unbridled tongue needs the rod to drive out that foolishness, but due to limitations in the age-appropriateness of certain forms of discipline, simply keeping quiet will have to do, and for some of us will feel just as painful. At least then we could benefit as Proverbs 17:28 is realized, which says, "Even a fool is thought to be wise if he keeps silent."