A Little Less Free With The Speech

Now if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well.  Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclinations of the pilot directs. 

So also the tongue is a small part of the body, yet it boasts of great things.  So how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire!  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. 

For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles, and creatures of the sea, is tamed by the human race.  But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.  With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. 

Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?  Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs?  Nor can salt water produce fresh. 

James 3:3-12

Soren A Kierkegaard said, "People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid."

The problem of free speech without thoughtful consideration has been around forever.  Social networking on the internet has added a new dimension to this problem because now our thoughtlessness words are quickly broadcast for all to see.  After we pop off about a friend’s snub or our how much we hate our boss, we wonder why people are mad at us or why we got fired from the job we hated but desperately needed. 

The Apostle James warns us to engage our brains before we operate our mouths, and this also applies to posting our thoughts on the internet.  We cannot take back our words.  The hurt and anger they produce in others also hurts us.  We need to back off being instantly on and consider the message our words convey. 

God did not put us on earth to crush one another.  He put us here to encourage each other.  A little more thought, a little less free speech will help us do this.