Fire

August 13
FIRE
James 3:6
"6 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."

Our family went to Yosemite National Park one year and stayed just outside the park. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited in my life. We hiked and saw many incredible sights especially in Yosemite Valley with the magnificent vistas of Half Dome, El Capitan, Yosemite Falls, and Bridal Veil Falls. To see what God has created in all its splendor is a worship experience - not of the creation but of the Creator.

Near the end of our trip a forest fire started not far from where we were staying. It was along the main road to the park. We spend some time one afternoon watching the helicopters gather water in a bucket there at the river beside the road and then carry the water up to the top of a hill and dump it on the fire. It was an incredible time.

We went back to the valley after that but there was too much smoke to even enjoy it. It was hard to breathe and hard to see anything. We left early. The fire was started they think by some campers and a loose spark from a fire. Because of that one fire, many people had to go to work putting it out and many people had their vacations cut short.

James is saying that our words can be very similar to that. One careless word can turn into a fire of resentment, pain, broken relationships, and more. It also can stop people from seeing what God is doing as all they can focus on is the words that someone said which hurt them or caused disillusionment.

Let us be careful with our words - as careful as a person needs to be with a campfire in the forest during a drought. Each word is important.