Recently Laura and I have been reading through the book of James together before bedtime. Last night we studied chapter three which is all about having untamed tongues. In verse five of chapter three James said "So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!". When we read this I was instantly reminded of when people say "Don't burn your bridges", and it got me thinking, how many bridges are burned down in our lives because of our untamed tongue? Whether they are friendships, ministry opportunities, relationships with family members, or even relationships within the work place. The tongue is a direct line to the heart and most of the time we don't think about the repercussions of our actions at the time that we are gossiping, lying, cursing, cheating, or even disobeying by not saying what God wants us to say. In verse nine he said "With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God." I don't know why as human beings we are inclined to esteem ourselves higher than one another but when it comes down to it, we were all created in the likeness of the true and living God. We should be lifting each other up with our words, sticking up for each other when the other one is not around. Imagine the conflict that would be deflated if we just didn't speak badly about one another, imagine the fires that would be put out. After I read this chapter I started praying that God would give me HIS heart for HIS people and that rather than starting fires, I would be on a mission to extinguish the fires that I come across (or have already started). After all, God's heart is the ultimate firefighter.
Friday, August 13, 2010
God's Heart Is A Firefighter.
Recently Laura and I have been reading through the book of James together before bedtime. Last night we studied chapter three which is all about having untamed tongues. In verse five of chapter three James said "So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!". When we read this I was instantly reminded of when people say "Don't burn your bridges", and it got me thinking, how many bridges are burned down in our lives because of our untamed tongue? Whether they are friendships, ministry opportunities, relationships with family members, or even relationships within the work place. The tongue is a direct line to the heart and most of the time we don't think about the repercussions of our actions at the time that we are gossiping, lying, cursing, cheating, or even disobeying by not saying what God wants us to say. In verse nine he said "With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God." I don't know why as human beings we are inclined to esteem ourselves higher than one another but when it comes down to it, we were all created in the likeness of the true and living God. We should be lifting each other up with our words, sticking up for each other when the other one is not around. Imagine the conflict that would be deflated if we just didn't speak badly about one another, imagine the fires that would be put out. After I read this chapter I started praying that God would give me HIS heart for HIS people and that rather than starting fires, I would be on a mission to extinguish the fires that I come across (or have already started). After all, God's heart is the ultimate firefighter.
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2 comments:
so true, I have hurt so many with my 'Fire Starter', and I am asking God to ' put a guard on my tongue'.
Thanks for the post,
God bless,
Tracey Pera
Dean, Danae, Jeff + 2 more "mom"
this is good, made me think!
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