Minute Meditations

”A small flame can set an immense heap of wood on fire.” We have seen just recently the truth of Van Paasen’s words in the fire that has swept through a section of beautiful homes in a wooded section of Los Angeles that destroyed 457 homes and caused some fifty million dollars in property damage. Fire, like water, can be one of man’s greatest friends or fiercest enemies, depending upon its use or abuse. Man can start something that he cannot stop and that small flame can grow into a roaring forest fire destroying everything in its path including the one who originally started it.

We can see how much fire is like life. Properly used, many things are beneficial and helpful, while abused, these same things can cause our downfall. James cites the tongue as an example. He says, ”The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.” James continues by contrasting the good the tongue can do with the evil that it can cause. He says ”Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.”

No wonder James exclaims concerning the tongue ”Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!” We certainly can not outlaw fire because of its potential destructive power because when propertly used it performs an invaluable service to man. The same is true of the tongue. We cannot cut out the tongue because of the terrible things it says... it is control, not amputation that is needed. In the case of fires, certain precautions can help prevent them from starting. Keep the area clean, remove brush and rubbish, get rid of oily rags, get a small fire extinguisher and keep it handy, all of these things can help prevent a disastrous blaze that would destroy life and property.

So it is with the tongue, certain precautions can help prevent the damaging effects that an unruly tongue can cause. Jesus said to the Pharisees, ”How can ye, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” Just as surely as certain conditions will cause a fire, so evil thoughts will cause the tongue to say unholy things. To solve the problem, we must go to the root of the trouble, and that is to control our thinking. If we will learn to think good thoughts we will speak good words.

We are the product of our thinking. Almost every act is first an idea. We are what we think about all day long. This is why Paul laid so much stress upon training our minds to think along spiritual lines. He tells us, ”Whatsoever things are true, (never think a lie and we’ll never tell one) whatsoever things are honest, (never think of cheating) whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” In the case of fires and tongues, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and if we will only learn to think godly we will save much more than just our homes, we will save our lives in the day of Christ’s coming.