It's great! It will hold anything you need to hold...
My husband's commentary... on the newly installed vise... an addition to the work table in the garage...
Foolishly... I asked... Will it hold my tongue...?
No... you need a bigger vise for that...
The only grace... it was said with a smile... a grace undeserved... a stressful weekend... words not held... encouragement not given... me... shamefully self-centered... ugh... my tongue... revealing a heart in need of work...
Now when we place bits in the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we also guide the whole animal. And consider ships: Though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder, wherever the will of the pilot directs. So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things. Consider how large a forest a small fire ignites. And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among the parts of our bodies. It pollutes the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is set on fire by hell.James 3:3-6 HCSB (my emphasis)
The tongue... compared to the rudder of a great ship... determines the path... at the will of the pilot...
This pilot... continues to get off course...
For I have the desire to do what is good,
but I cannot carry it out.
For what I do is not the good I want to do;
no, the evil I do not want to do
--- this I keep on doing.
Romans 7:18-19
(my emphasis)
The will of the flesh... out of alignment with the spirit's desire...
The Greek... translated as will in James 3:4... includes the defining characteristic of impulse... which according to Merriam-Webster is...
The will takes over... reacting without thought... to the ever changing environment... often at the expense of one's actual desire... in Greek... to will, have in mind, intend...a sudden spontaneous inclination or incitement to some usually unpremeditated action
Without thought... without self-control... without a firm stance in God's strength... our impulse is to follow the flesh... drastically... changing our course of life...
Every sea creature, reptile, bird, or animal is tamed and has been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
James 3:7
HCSB
(emphasis added)
Nothing man-made... not even a vice... can hold the tongue...
Wretched man that I am!
Who will deliver me from this body of death?
Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Romans 7:24-25
ESV
Thank You, Jesus... for delivering me...
from this body of sin and death...
Once more... I surrender... repent... and ask forgiveness...
No comments:
Post a Comment