The Tongue

Gossip Weeds

/ pastorpete51 / 8 Comments 
So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! James 3:5 ESV

My New England home is famous for its Vermont cheese, maple syrup and Fall foliage, but one lesser-known product which we have in abundance is poison ivy. This lovely plant has nice shiny leaves, prolific annual growth and pretty red berries. Those lovely berries are greatly loved by the birds, which happily gobble them down and then generously plant them everywhere that isn’t paved or under water. In today’s verse, the Apostle James tells us about a far deadlier poison than that in our ivy: That is the poison of our words. A single seed of malicious gossip, whether by text, social media or by phone, can destroy relationships, careers and even lives. James says, that though started by just a tiny spark, that they can set an entire forest on fire. But the good news is that in the same way that gossip spreads, words of grace can also spread, and in an even more powerful way, In Galatians, we are given the list of the kinds of seeds that God wants us to plant:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; Galatians 5:22-23a

Right this moment we have the opportunity to begin planting loving words, joyful praises, peaceful phrases, patient encouragements, kind offers, good suggestions, faithful promises, gentle assurances and self-controlled responses. These seeds, when planted in our garden will lead to a far different and better harvest. James ends by calling it:

And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. James 3:18

Though we must be patient because it will take a season for these seeds to grow, the harvest will be worth it. So, what’s growing in your garden today?

God’s Italian Pinch

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments

God’s Italian Pinch

Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips! Psalm 141:3 ESV

When our boys were small, we used to drive down to visit my dad and stepmom once every six weeks. Since it was such a long ride, we generally met at church and of course our sons would run to their grandparents and then snuggle in on either side of their gramma in the pew. Now our sons loved their gramma, and would usually try to be good, but almost inevitably one of them would start poking his brother or talking loudly during the sermon.  That is when my stepmom, would quietly reach over and give a good Italian pinch on whichever one was acting up. That got their attention! Suddenly they would sit straight up, quiet down and at least start pretending to listen!

In today’s verse, David prays for God’s correction over the unruliest part of our anatomy – the tongue. He asks God to put a guard over his mouth and a watchman over his lips.  It sounds to me as if He is asking for a good old fashioned Italian Pinch. But for that pinch to work we must start out by sitting close enough to God for Him to reach us. Sure, He might correct is, but just as our sons decided with their gramma, it is worth the risk. Second, when that pinch comes, we can’t run away. Instead, we have to sit up straight and be quiet! Lastly, try to remember that God is getting our attention for a reason. He has a wonderful message for us to hear and we need to do more than just pretend to listen. His guard is on our tongue because God loves us and guards us because we are precious to Him!