Devotions with Pastor Jared

This last Saturday, I went to a gun range with some friends. It was my first time shooting a handgun, and it was a very enlightening experience for me. Regardless of your view on gun control, I hope you can agree that guns are very fascinating tools. A 9mm pistol is so small but carries an amazing amount of destructive force. If you are not careful with it, you could injure or even kill somebody, but it’s small enough to fit comfortably in a hand or carry with you with minimal disruption.

The Bible describes the tongue in a similar fashion. A (very) few examples:

• James 3:8 “But no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”
• Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.”
• 1 Peter 3:10 “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.”
• James 1:26 “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.”
• James 3:5 “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.”
• Proverbs 15:4 “A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.”

Much of this is phrased metaphorically, we should not combine what James and the author of Proverbs are saying and go around telling people their tongues are literally poisonous trees. However, this metaphor contains truth. What you say to and about people is just as important in the eyes of God as what you physically do.

You wouldn’t be careless with a gun, please don’t be careless with your words.

Pastor Jared