STICKS, STONES AND WORDS (GUEST POST – MIKE BIG JR.)

Mike Big Jr. is one of the young preachers at Elim Church in Chicago. He is involved in the leadership team in our Youth Department and comes from a great family. I am proud to consider him a friend (makes me younger too 🙂 ). Here’s his article:

Growing up, I remember the little soccer scuffles that would erupt on an almost daily basis in the nearby park. Be it from a competitive soccer game, or just older kids making fun of younger kids, there would always be an exchanging of words. As children, we would always argue and fight, but make up and become best of friends the very next day!

As time wore on, and we as children grew up, ideas and concepts began to change as well. The phrase “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words may never hurt me”, used to be a great comeback to aggravate the ones who would talk too much. Words would be just “simple words” that would fall to the ground. But nowadays, words are stronger than any stick or stone.

The Bible talks about the power of the tongue, and the damage words can produce. James 3:1-12 contrasts the power of the tongue to such things as a ship being controlled by a small rudder, or the bit in a horse’s mouth that makes its entire body move. With words, laws are created, and riches and wealth obtained, but above all that they can be dangerous.

Verses 9-11 continues, “With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?” And going back to verse 8 which states “But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” We can see that are words are supposed to be of only one kind, “fresh water”, the good and kind words. So what are we to do about such a powerful loose cannon, named “the tongue”?

The instincts of animals can be subdued through conditioning and punishment, but the sinful nature that inspires evil words in us is beyond our control. But God already knew that, so he sent to us a power; The Holy Spirit.

Let us always pray that our thoughts and tongues are under the control of the Holy Spirit, in doing so, we can live by God’s standard, and our words will be of “fresh water” towards one another. Furthermore, we can set ourselves apart from the rest of the world and truly live as an Authentic Generation.