Words Words Words
If I were to ask you what you thought was the deadliest weapon of the 21st Century, what would you say?
Drones?
Missiles?
Advances in Nuclear weaponry?
What if I were to ask you to name the deadliest weapon in world history? What would you say then?
Slavery?
Mustard gas?
Biological Warfare?
Advances in Military technology?
Chemical Weapons?
Genocide?
All of these just name a few of the deadliest weapons we fear. However these weapons, the people behind these weapons are fueled by the deadliest weapon of all time: words. Some of the greatest crimes against humanity have been fueled by the very words spoken and written.
Nothing so small and seemingly insignificant yet so potent exists in our world, quite like our verbal expression. The very words we speak have the power to build people up and tear them down. The power to inspire and lead, and the power to destroy.
The Book of James tells us as much. In Chapter 3 verse 8, James tells us that the of all the things tamable in the world, the tongue cannot be tamed. Furthermore he calls the tongue a "restless evil, full of deadly poison."
I love the allusion to a ship that James gives us. When you look at a massive ocean going vessel from the 15th-19th Centuries, at the very back of the ship you would notice a tiny fin, the rudder, barely poking out from the underside of the ship. The rudder is essentially the propeller of the ship. It can turn it to the right or to the left. Something so tiny and seemingly insignificant, controls the course of a massive ship: towards safety, towards glory, or towards disaster. Our tongues, our words, are no different.
What should our speech sound like? Just as our behavior should model that of Jesus, so should our words. Colossians 4:6 says that our words should be seasoned with grace. Our words should be the rainbow sprinkles on a bowl of ice cream. Our words should lift up, build up, and point others to Christ.
Drones?
Missiles?
Advances in Nuclear weaponry?
What if I were to ask you to name the deadliest weapon in world history? What would you say then?
Slavery?
Mustard gas?
Biological Warfare?
Advances in Military technology?
Chemical Weapons?
Genocide?
All of these just name a few of the deadliest weapons we fear. However these weapons, the people behind these weapons are fueled by the deadliest weapon of all time: words. Some of the greatest crimes against humanity have been fueled by the very words spoken and written.
Nothing so small and seemingly insignificant yet so potent exists in our world, quite like our verbal expression. The very words we speak have the power to build people up and tear them down. The power to inspire and lead, and the power to destroy.
The Book of James tells us as much. In Chapter 3 verse 8, James tells us that the of all the things tamable in the world, the tongue cannot be tamed. Furthermore he calls the tongue a "restless evil, full of deadly poison."
I love the allusion to a ship that James gives us. When you look at a massive ocean going vessel from the 15th-19th Centuries, at the very back of the ship you would notice a tiny fin, the rudder, barely poking out from the underside of the ship. The rudder is essentially the propeller of the ship. It can turn it to the right or to the left. Something so tiny and seemingly insignificant, controls the course of a massive ship: towards safety, towards glory, or towards disaster. Our tongues, our words, are no different.
What should our speech sound like? Just as our behavior should model that of Jesus, so should our words. Colossians 4:6 says that our words should be seasoned with grace. Our words should be the rainbow sprinkles on a bowl of ice cream. Our words should lift up, build up, and point others to Christ.
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