Weapon of Mass Destruction: Lord, Help My Mouth! (3)
Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that
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!
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.
7–10 This 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.
Don’t be in any rush to become a teacher, my friends. Teaching is highly responsible work. Teachers are held to the strictest standards. And none of us is perfectly qualified. We get it wrong nearly every time we open our mouths. If you could find someone whose speech was perfectly true, you’d have a perfect person, in perfect control of life.
Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear.
19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
He that answereth a matter before he heareth it,
It is folly and shame unto him.
Answering before listening
is both stupid and rude.
You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.