day no. 16,825: tongue lashed and pistol whipped

While listening to Douglas Wilson's Plodcast #296: The Smell of Resentments, he mentioned James' use of the word, "deadly," while continuing his study of sin, i.e.. Hamartiology. He briefly compared the tongue to a gun which prompted me to connect the dots between John Lovell's Universal Firearm Safety Rules and Biblical advise on holstering and firing off with your tongue.

James 3:8

The tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

A tongue is full of bullets. It has an endless supply of ammo  being manufactured inside the wretchedness of the human heart. Like a gun, it can be used for good and to protect those that you love, but like a gun it can misfire and hurt the ones you love if you are not governed by God and His grace. Here is where the Universal Firearm Safety Rules scan well with God's Word for speech.

The Universal Safety Rules

(1) Treat Every Gun like it's loaded--even simulation guns or training guns with blanks.

(2) Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are aligned and you're ready to shoot.

(3) Never point a gun at anything you don't intend to destroy.

(4) Know what's beyond your target, what's behind it, in front of it, to the left and right of it. And remember, bullets can go through walls and other structures.

Treat every tongue like it's loaded. Keep your comments holstered until you've thought through what you're going to say and to whom you're going to aim them. Keep your tongue concealed until you're ready to use it. Never aim a harsh comment, even in jest, at someone you are not willingly to risk losing relationship. Do not destroy anything by accident. Know what is behind your target and who else might be struck by your words. 

Tongues are like guns. They are dangerous and deadly. The goal is not to be mute anymore than it is to be unarmed. The goal is to be dangerous in the right direction and to kill only that which God has commanded. The Gospel preached will either inspire men to want to kill you or it will inspire them to die to themselves and repent. Words are dangerous and the tongue can kill men.. and that is a good thing! Praise God for it killed me and raised me to life.