Feel The Burn

We lived in Montana when Glacier National Park suffered a massive forest fire. We were over twenty miles away from the fire but we still felt the effects of the fire. The air was heavy and thick with smoke, stifling and difficult to breathe. The smoke burned our eyes and made them water. The days were dark, the sun obscured by thick, black clouds. A layer of gray ash covered our cars and windowsills. The smell of charred wood clung to the air, tainting every breath with that unforgettable smell. It was a pretty large fire, started by a lightening strike, and left to burn itself out. (National Parks policy is to let the fire burn and not fight it) It destroyed thousands of acres and drove wild animals out of the park. It was devastating and destructive. It was awful!
"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
What a strong warning by James! Scattered throughout the Bible, are numerous admonitions and warnings to watch our words, to guard our tongues, to be careful of what we say, and to think before we speak. Negative, harmful, ugly and downright ungodly speech is an epidemic in our country. I was talking with a friend just yesterday about the power of words, their power to offend, to destroy, to crush. We live in such a sit-com society. Conversations are no longer kind and gracious but are now filled with curse words and vile slang. There are no private topics anymore, anything is deemed fit to talk about in public. Most of us think it is okay to make jokes at another's expense with little or no thought to the effect the "joke" has on their spirit. Most of us throw around words haphazardly, oblivious to their meaning or intent. Brothers and sisters, I think we ought to be more careful with our words. There is a reason we are to use caution. We are Christians and as such we represent Christ. We are to be different from the world, that means in our language too. And words can be dangerous! James says our tongues are a spark. They can set the course of a life on fire. Some of us have been burned by the careless words of friends. Our hearts and our spirits have been charred, scarred beyond recognition. We are not the person we were, thanks to that little spark, the spark that changed our life. Some of us are firestarters, we toss around words soaked in the kerosene of crude and lit with a carelessly tossed attempt at humor. And then the fire is lit and the damage is done.
Many years after the fire in Glacier, the scars were still visible. Visitors to the park noticed blackened fields, barren of growth, a few dark, gnarled and broken sticks, standing where the lush, green forest once was. No longer could one see bear and moose, bighorn sheep and herds of elk just barely out of reach. Signs of life were there alright, but now they were difficult to find, requiring binoculars and a keen eye. Likewise the beauty of God's magnificent creation was now draped in black and death, as if in mourning.
The same can be said for the spirit set ablaze by destructive and devastating words. The scars are visible for years to come. Signs of growth are obscured by the wounded heart and the aching soul. Life is there but visible only to the keen and compassionate eye. A once vibrant and sparkling life is now draped in blackness, as if grieving for the past, a time when their confidence was intact and their spirit soared, a time when they were willing participants in life. Bitterness and unforgiveness grows where love and friendship once flourished.
If our tongue has sparked this calamity, we need to repent. We need to listen and really hear the warnings of the Word. We need to control our tongues--whether our words are written or spoken, I believe the same principle applies. Our words can either destroy a spirit or heal one. They can tear down a city or build one up. They can encourage or devastate. Both are eternally significant. The significance is not only for the victim of our tongue-lashing but for us, also. "If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless." James 1:26 That says that no matter how faithful I am in attendance, no matter how benevolent to the poor, no matter how evangelistic, if I am not trying to control my words, the rest is worthless. Worthless as in having no value, futile, useless. That is both powerful and convicting.
God wants us to be on fire. He wants us to be ablaze with passion for Him. He wants us to set others on fire. He does not want the fire to be the fire of destruction and death. We have the Spirit within us to set the world on fire for God. We have the power of the Word. Let's be careful that our fire is the fire of passion rather than evil. Both will change the course of our lives and the lives of others.

Peace
Neva