Fire Spreads

The other day I was "bargain book shopping."  That's one of my favorite things to do.  My husband has promised me a library and believe me, I have the books to fill it. 

I found one small 130 page book.  I thought "this is great"  it could be a book club book except for one thing...the topic. 

You see, the title is 30 days to Taming Your Tongue.  I purchased it because I thought it would be good conversation and I might use some information from it.  Then I look at the chapters.  I'm expecting the book to be something like refrain from gossip; or speak kindly; or pray before you speak...etc.  Because you know, in my "self pride" I think at least one chapter will apply to me.  I proceed to read the index:

The Lying Tongue
The Flattering Tongue
The Manipulating Tongue
The Hasty Tongue
The Divisive Tongue
The Argumentative Tongue
The Boasting Tongue
The Self-Depreciating Tongue
The Slandering Tongue
The Gossiping Tongue
The Meddling Tongue
The Betraying Tongue
The Belittling Tongue
The Cynical Tongue
The Know-it-All Tongue
The Harsh Tongue
The Tactless Tongue
The Intimidating Tongue
The Rude Tongue

Whew!  I was convicted just reading the Chapter Titles.  So I'm thinking "Wow God, you really want me to learn something from this book!"  Just when I think it's over, I turn the page and to my surprise, there are eleven more chapters listed on the next page.  The Judgmental, Self-Absorbed, Cursing, Complaining, Retaliating, Accusing, Discouraging, Doubting, Loquacious, Indiscreet, and Silent tongues. 

I don't know about you but I found myself in everyone of these chapters.  It truly brought me to reflect the areas that I practice each chapter of these tongues in my life.  While I love the Word of God and I love sharing the Word of God, I fall victim to these areas.  So how can one speak of God's Word and yet fall in each of these categories?  I believe that is what this book is all about. 

That's what God's Word is all about too.  Proverbs 10:19 says When words are many, sin is not absent but he who holds his tongue is wise.   Words have more power to kill than the sharpest weapon.  Words can kill the spirit.  While spewing out venemous words may make us feel better, they do not represent who God called us to be.  We are to encourage others with words that build up rather than tear down.
Ephesians 4:29

All my life I grew up hearing the story of my grandmother who died at age 58.  She and two of her sons were killed in a fire when my mother was just 8 years old.  They lived on the second floor of a two story structure.  The young woman on the first floor was heating a bottle for her baby in the middle of the night when the curtain caught fire and quickly spread to the second floor claiming the lives of my grandmother and two uncles.  That is how quickly rumors, gossip, slander, rudness, boasting, complaining and all the others can destroy lives. 

Yep, this is a small book with a large lesson....fire spreads quickly and so does an untamed tongue!

Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts.  Consider what  a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.  The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body.  It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire and is itself set on fire by hell.  James 3:5-6