" 3-5A bit in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds. A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it!
5-6It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell.
7-10This is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can't tame a tongue—it's never been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth!
10-12My friends, this can't go on. A spring doesn't gush fresh water one day and brackish the next, does it? Apple trees don't bear strawberries, do they? Raspberry bushes don't bear apples, do they? You're not going to dip into a polluted mud hole and get a cup of clear, cool water, are you?"
James 3:3-12 (message)
3 comments:
Wow, I really love that idea - if all of us were synonymous with "things of the Lord and of love and justice."
We each have places inside of us which are in need of redefinition - the ways we interact with people, the ways we allow ourselves bad motives, the ways in which our minds can take us down the wrongs paths . . . all of these things should never be "corrected" or "redefined" by ourselves however, but by allowing Christ to take control.
I hope we can all continue to do just that.
I have never heard you say anything rude, not once.
I do love your edge though, it is necessary and needed... but you are absolutely sweet, kind and giving in all you do.
As the Lord continues to refine you you will only become more in tune with His incredible heart of love. That will overflow in ways you cannot even begin to imagine...
I know we talked about this, but remember...
Just because you see something good in someone else, but don't see it in yourself, doesn't mean you're wrong.
Examine your heart always, my friend. But one of the things I admire most in you is how honest AND loving you are.
We're all different parts of Christ's beautful body.. and Jesus could be pretty blunt.
Love, love, love you!
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