Message by Larry Thacker Jr. from January 31, “Armed and Dangerous”
The text is from James 3:1-12. It seems there’s not much we can agree on lately as a country, but there’s one point on which we do seem to agree that I think would be a good place to start. That is that words matter. The battle over what has been said and who has the right to say it has escalated to the point of absurdity, but everyone seems to be in agreement that what is said has power.
James would agree. He says in verse 6, “And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.” Back in verse 2 he says in part, “If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man…”
The tongue can be a weapon, and too many of us fire it without sufficient thought to the damage we may cause. Often it’s ourselves we end up shooting. If I hand you a loaded gun, chances are you are going to handle it very carefully. You know the damage it can do. If we would give the same care to what we say, we could avoid much pain and misery.
It can also be used for good. We can speak words of love, healing, and restoration. We can speak up for those who can’t speak for themselves. We can proclaim the Good News that Jesus provided the way of salvation.
