Zac Talks

Babies are cute… that is absolutely no surprise to anyone. I have a 2 month-old, and he is perhaps the cutest child that has ever been born… and no, I am not biased in the least… but what makes babies so darn adorable? We could probably think of a dozen things or so, but I think the cutest thing about kids is that they have miniature features – little hands, little feet, tiny fingernails, and tiny toes… tiny everything. I have noticed however that from the time Caleb was born that there is one thing that is not so little, and that is his voice. Sure, his mouth is physically small, but what he does with his vocal chords is nothing short of amazing considering the size of everything else… He is loud! And whether he is cooing, baby-talking, or crying, he is already exerting the power of his voice. When he makes a sound our household stops, people in restaurants turn to look, or he can change the course of a day.

As we get older we learn to use our voices. We form words, control our volume, and manipulate our environment – whether for good or ill. This past week, the power of the voice has become so apparent to me. I have had study sessions in church surrounding it, I have had devotionals that discuss it, and conversations that exhibit it. And the Word of God is so clear about the importance of understanding how we use our voices, but the question that we all have to answer for ourselves is how will we use that power today?

2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 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! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.  7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water. James 3:2-11