James 3:5 Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles!
The tongue is such a small part of our anatomy and yet in it is great power. James under inspiration of the Holy Spirit wrote about the tongue in his epistle and used the metaphor of a forest fire to draw analogy to what a misdirected tongue can produce. Every forest fire begins with a spark in the wrong place. The spark turns into a blaze, which turns into a forest fire that does great damage.
Just a few weeks ago on March 26, a wildfire broke out just a few miles southwest of Denver, Colorado. Before the fire was contained over 4000 acres of land was destroyed, 25 homes burned to the ground and three people were killed because they did not get out of their homes in time.
Most people do not realize the power of their tongue. With it is the power to build up and the power to tear down. One little comment (the spark) is all it takes to ignite a fire storm (the forest fire) of gossip that destroys reputations, ministries, churches, and people's lives.
Let us be children of the light and use our tongues to build up, to edify, and to bless.
And if we don't have anything good to say, I suggest we just keep our mouths shut.
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