In May 2014, 8-year-old Abby Porter was in a car being driven by her mother when her mom suffered a medical emergency. Abby immediately grabbed the wheel and was able to control the vehicle until a police officer helped stop the car safely. After the event, the officer related how he told Abby to put the vehicle in PARK, to which she responded, “I don’t know how!”
What a perfect demonstration of the power of the steering wheel: A brave but completely inexperienced little girl was able to safely direct herself and her mother to safety!
James compares the tongue not to a steering wheel but to a ship’s rudder: “A small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go” (James 3:4). That relatively small part of the vessel controls where it will head. James warns of the negative implications of misusing our speech, comparing it to a small spark that sets a forest ablaze and to a restless evil (James 3:5,7-8). But we shouldn’t overlook what James writes in James 3:2, that as God empowers us to control our words, we can control ourselves in every other way as well!
Misusing words can bring about great evil, but I find it encouraging that controlling our words and using them wisely can bring about great good—for ourselves and others. Proverbs 12:6 says that “the words of the wicked are like a murderous ambush, but the words of the godly save lives.” Proverbs 16:24 reveals that “kind words are like honey—sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.”
So we have not one but two good reasons for speaking with care: to avoid great harm, but also to bring about great good. And we have a great God who helps to steer us toward good words that glorify Him!
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Job 38:1-41
More:
Take a look at Ephesians 4:29 to see how Paul advised the church in Ephesus to use their words to encourage others.
Next:
How have you seen words cause harm or destruction in your life or in the life of others? What can you do today to bless others with your speech to God’s glory?
gary1schelvan on May 10, 2015 at 4:29 am
Hello Peter, Thanks for the great posting, a very important topic in this day and age especially. You are so right about the power of our words, be it for good/uplifting/encouraging, or be it for evil/discouragement/put downs. This is like one of my pet peeves, using your spoken word carefully to bring light into the world, one important way for us as Christians to be the salt and the light. I love Barnabas in the Bible, he was always encouraging others to carry on, to do good, offering moral support to uplift others. So let us do our very best to use our spoken words carefully, not to harm or discourage other people…By the way…Happy Mother’s Day to all of the great Moms out there, you do so much to make the world a better place. Thanks.