In 2004, a man went over a dry, brown patch of grass while mowing his lawn. A blade on the mower struck a rock and created a spark, which resulted in a fire that soon raged out of control. The resulting catastrophe, known as the Bear Fire, blackened 10,484 acres of land and destroyed more than 80 homes. To put out the blaze required the efforts of 33 fire crews and 42 fire engines.
The Bible says, “A tiny spark can set a great forest on fire” and “the tongue is a small thing that . . . can set [a person’s] whole life on fire. And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire” (James 3:5-6). Our words can do great damage even as they reveal what’s inside of us. Jesus said, “From the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander” (Matthew 15:18-19).
Because our words have the potential to cause harm, the Bible advises us to limit what we say. Just as a contained fire can be used for cooking or heating, so also restricting our speech can have benefits for us. Proverbs 21:23 presents one way to steer clear of trouble: “Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut!” And Proverbs 15:28 reminds us that “the heart of the godly thinks carefully before speaking.”
As we yield to His work in our lives, the Holy Spirit helps us grow to better reflect God and His ways. As a result, the effects of our words will change too! The Bible compares the words of a godly person to sterling silver—something precious and valuable (Proverbs 10:20).
God’s Spirit provides what we need to reflect the kindness, gentleness, and self-control that come from knowing Jesus. May we submit to His work today and use words that spark godly ways—not raging flames.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Luke 10:25-42
More:
Look up Psalm 39:1 to see David’s thoughts about curbing harmful speech. Read Luke 23:3, Luke 23:8-9 to see examples of verbal self-control.
Next:
How can we honor God by speaking but also at times by remaining silent? How has technology changed the way our words are heard? How can we use it to share loving and helpful words?
Gary Shultz on August 1, 2015 at 6:45 am
Over the years I may have made a little progress on when to speak and when to be silent, but not very much. I often wince reviewing what I said, just maybe pushing too far not giving people enough space. Then I often reflect, did I represent the opportunity well, did I say enough? Forgive me for taking this a little long…….I know you know this, that listening is represented by only 7% as words the rest is body language, eye contact, voice and how words are phrased. I would take a person to person conversation any day over print. The video portion of technology has expanded words with sight, easily done by every day folks. I will probably never meet you in person this side of glory; however, you are wonderful communicator. Your articles in ODB and here are great. The thing that really communicates to me your heart, along with a few of the other authors, is you usually always answer those who leave a reply. It may only be a few words, but you have shared time and concern to an old buzzard like me. I don’t have to meet some of you, your acts speak of your heart. To write an article is enlightening to take time to write directly back to a person is sharing yourself on a personal level. Didn’t Jesus do that? Thank you.
Mike Wittmer on August 1, 2015 at 7:43 am
May I remember that my words affect others as much as their words affect me.
Winn Collier on August 1, 2015 at 6:39 pm
Honestly, I could have used a little spark two weeks ago when I took my boys backpacking. One morning, I couldn’t get a fire going.
joycemb on August 1, 2015 at 7:13 pm
For me, submitting my emotions to the Spirit’s control is a real challenge, one I do lose from time to time.
joycemb on August 1, 2015 at 7:15 pm
And the loss comes out through my speech.
Marlena Graves on August 1, 2015 at 9:06 pm
If we can control out tongues, we are holy indeed. I also think about FB and Twitter. One little spark, 140 characters, can light a world on fire. It can fuel a mob. A word or a few keystrokes can do the same thing that little spark did in 2004. What a powerful example.