This Fire Near Athens Reminded Me of What the Bible Says About Our Words
The tongue is a fire
Yesterday there was a small brush fire near Athens, AL - where I live.
The city's Facebook page gave an update on what happened.
In comparison to some wildfires, 10 acres is not a lot. But it’s still amazing - one little spark from a tractor burned 10 acres of land before firefighters got it contained.
It doesn’t take much more than a little spark to cause much damage.
Our words can be just like that little spark.
Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. (James 3:5-6)
A line from a song we sing with our children goes, “Oh be careful little mouth what you say.”
Our words can do so much good - but if we “let a spark fly,” we could cause tremendous damage with our words. This is one reason why it’s essential to be “swift to hear” and “slow to speak” (James 1:19).
Be careful what words you allow to come out of your mouth. Firefighters can put out a brush fire - but nobody can undo the damage that a careless word can do.