Does Your Fire Burn or Illuminates?

James 3:6 says “the tongue is a fire”. What do you use your fire for? Does your fire burn people or does it illuminate dark places? Every time you use your tongue to criticize, gossip, backbite and curse people you are using your fire to burn down. Every time you use your mouth to encourage people, comfort the broken hearted and confront people to their faces about their errors instead of backbiting them, you are using your fire to illuminate darkness. Jesus told us in Matthew 5:14 that we “are the light of the world”. We are not the fire of the world. In that small space of time between the time when you formulate thoughts and speak them into words, try exercising the power of choice to ensure that the words you utter give light instead of burning down. After you die, to a large extent, the way you use your mouth will determine whether you are illuminated by God in Heaven or whether you are consumed by fire in hell. “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”-Proverbs 18:21.

Reno Omokri is the founder of the Mind of Christ Christian Center and author of Shunpiking: No Shortcuts to God, and the new book Why Jesus Wept available from Barnes and Noble, amazon and other fine book stores in hard copy and on kindle as well as nook.

You are invited to follow Reno on Twitter @renoomokri.