A MESSAGE TO ALL WEAPON OWNERS
I started to make the title "A MESSAGE TO ALL THSOE WHO OWN THE MOST DANGEROUS WEAPONS". By that title you would assume I was talking about guns because they are in the news every time the news is on. Opinions about guns and gun control make an appearance on my Facebook newsfeeds daily. So I have a message for all weapon owners. But before I get to that I want to say that I am a gun owner, carrier, shooter, respecter and I like things that go BOOM! I have not always been all of these except for liking things that go BOOM! Before I became a gun owner I wanted to make sure I was at a point in my life that I could handle the responsibility. I didn't purchase one on the spur of the moment or while I was caught up in an emotional situation. Instead, I learned how to handle one, shoot one and felt comfortable with one before I purchased one. I also take all of the safety precautions I can to make sure no tragic accidents happen. Once I owned one I didn't automatically start carrying it. I took the class. I even took the class more serious than any nonchurch related class I have ever took. Even more serious than Practical Cooking which I took my sophomore year at East Burke. So I took notes and studied the material. It was several months after completing the course before I went to get my concealed permit because I wanted to be even more comfortable with the gun before strapping it to my body. I become a shooter because I want to make sure my gun works, I am skilled with it and I remain comfortable with it. I do not shoot people. I shoot targets at a shooting range. And sometimes an occasional pumpkin because I like things that go BOOM! Through all of this process I become a respecter of guns because I now fully understand the responsibility it is to own one, what damage they can do to people and things, and the protection they can provide. Everyday before I pick up my gun I pray that I will not need to use it. Every night when I put it down I say a prayer thanking God that I did not have to use it. With all that said, my message is not for gun owners. Guns are mild compared to the weapon I am talking about. Let's look at a description of it.
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.
James 3:5-10 (ESV)
Now a gun can be unloaded and locked up but the tongue is always loaded and ready for action. There is no stopping some tongues. One of the biggest lies I was taught as a child was, "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me." That was even a bigger lie than if I ate all my vegetables somehow a starving child in another part of the world wouldn't go hungry. My bones that the sticks and stones broke will heal but the wounds that the words inflict may never heal. A gun stops shooting once it runs out of bullets but a tongue gets even more dangerous when it runs out of ammunition. That's when the tongue gets personal and goes for the throat.
So my message is for all tongue owners. Please understand the power of your words, how fast they travel, how far they travel and the damage they do once they hit ears. Let me give you some things to think about. Some people like to say "I just tell it like it is" when they really mean "I like to tell my opinion." Others say "If you don't like what I have got to say, leave" without realizing what they say will not just land on the ears of those around them but on the ears of everyone the words are repeated to. If someone says to you, "I was told not to say anything so don't tell anyone what I am about to tell you" the proper response is, "So don't tell me!" Gossip is only stopped when it is not told so don't say, "I don't spread gossip, I just listen." When you need someone to talk to make sure their listening ear is not attached to a running mouth. Your momma told you if you didn't have anything good to say don't say anything at all so it is about time you listened to her. Words spoken in private by you will be spoken in public by others so make sure what comes out of your mouth is public friendly.
When it comes to what to say and what not to say I think Paul gave us good advice.
29 No foul language is to come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear.
Ephesians 4:29 (HCSB)
We praise God, put people down, pray, talk about worldly things and try to witness to people with the same mouth. We don't even clean it from all the back biting before we start to praise God. It is time we as Christians washed out our mouths and begin to pay attention to what we say. We should spend more time in prayer and less time in the parking lot court room. We should praise God more and talk about others less. We need to share God's love more and gossip less. Love more condemn less. Uplift each other instead of tearing each other down. Less time analyzing what is wrong and more time sharing the fix, Jesus. We need to put our pointing fingers away and extend our hand of friendship. As any parent of a teenager will tell you, "It isn't always what you say, it is how you say it." You can be 100% right but speak with an 100% wrong attitude. There is nothing wrong with thinking before you speak. You can still speak from the heart and run your words through filters. So all you who own the most dangerous weapon, a tongue, it is time you went to the Safe Speaking Seminar Headquarters or better known as SSSH. There they teach you to pray every morning before you speak that you words will be used for good and not evil. They have an advance class that teaches you to pray at night thanking God that you words were used for His purpose and His glory not yours.
Parting Thought: I thought about changing all my passwords to "incorrect" that way when it says "Your password is incorrect" I will be reminded what it is.
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.
James 3:5-10 (ESV)
Now a gun can be unloaded and locked up but the tongue is always loaded and ready for action. There is no stopping some tongues. One of the biggest lies I was taught as a child was, "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me." That was even a bigger lie than if I ate all my vegetables somehow a starving child in another part of the world wouldn't go hungry. My bones that the sticks and stones broke will heal but the wounds that the words inflict may never heal. A gun stops shooting once it runs out of bullets but a tongue gets even more dangerous when it runs out of ammunition. That's when the tongue gets personal and goes for the throat.
So my message is for all tongue owners. Please understand the power of your words, how fast they travel, how far they travel and the damage they do once they hit ears. Let me give you some things to think about. Some people like to say "I just tell it like it is" when they really mean "I like to tell my opinion." Others say "If you don't like what I have got to say, leave" without realizing what they say will not just land on the ears of those around them but on the ears of everyone the words are repeated to. If someone says to you, "I was told not to say anything so don't tell anyone what I am about to tell you" the proper response is, "So don't tell me!" Gossip is only stopped when it is not told so don't say, "I don't spread gossip, I just listen." When you need someone to talk to make sure their listening ear is not attached to a running mouth. Your momma told you if you didn't have anything good to say don't say anything at all so it is about time you listened to her. Words spoken in private by you will be spoken in public by others so make sure what comes out of your mouth is public friendly.
When it comes to what to say and what not to say I think Paul gave us good advice.
29 No foul language is to come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear.
Ephesians 4:29 (HCSB)
We praise God, put people down, pray, talk about worldly things and try to witness to people with the same mouth. We don't even clean it from all the back biting before we start to praise God. It is time we as Christians washed out our mouths and begin to pay attention to what we say. We should spend more time in prayer and less time in the parking lot court room. We should praise God more and talk about others less. We need to share God's love more and gossip less. Love more condemn less. Uplift each other instead of tearing each other down. Less time analyzing what is wrong and more time sharing the fix, Jesus. We need to put our pointing fingers away and extend our hand of friendship. As any parent of a teenager will tell you, "It isn't always what you say, it is how you say it." You can be 100% right but speak with an 100% wrong attitude. There is nothing wrong with thinking before you speak. You can still speak from the heart and run your words through filters. So all you who own the most dangerous weapon, a tongue, it is time you went to the Safe Speaking Seminar Headquarters or better known as SSSH. There they teach you to pray every morning before you speak that you words will be used for good and not evil. They have an advance class that teaches you to pray at night thanking God that you words were used for His purpose and His glory not yours.
Parting Thought: I thought about changing all my passwords to "incorrect" that way when it says "Your password is incorrect" I will be reminded what it is.
When someone gives me their opinion, that really makes me want to give them my opinion back. It is not fare that I can't give them mine too. Everyone that knows me knows that I'm very out spoken. I agree, that is not the best way to be. You are right the tongue is the hardest weapon to control. I have been trying for years!!
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