When Less is More

The late Billy Sunday tells of a time when a lady came up to him and said:
"Mr. Sunday, I know I have a bad temper, but I am over with it in a minute."
His reply was:
"So is the shotgun, but it blows everything to pieces."

Here this lady was telling Mr. Sunday that she had a bad temper that she would yield to just long enough to say what she wanted to say concerning the matter, then she was over it. How self centered can anyone get?

This lady didn't care about what she had said to others, or what effect it had on their life. All that mattered to her was saying what she wanted to say about the situation, and then she could be over it.

Just as Mr. Sunday said, all she wanted to do was go off like a shotgun. And shotguns can do everything from scare someone, to hurt someone, to murder someone.

Let's look at what James says concerning the tongue.

James 3:3-10
^3-5A bit in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds. A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it!

^5-6It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell.

^7-10This is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can't tame a tongue—it's never been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth!

Amazing a tiger can be tamed by man, but not the tongue. It takes a right Spirit to control a persons tongue. This tiny little member, is so strong like a rudder that steers a ships course, so the tongue guides mans course. And yet we have not grasp this truth.

If we truly had revelation on this text, we would be more mindful of what we say to others.
We would be more careful concerning what we said period.

When it comes to conversation ... sometimes ... Less is more!


Proverbs 10:19
The more talk, the less truth;
the wise measure their words. ~ Message

When words are many, sin is not absent,
but he who holds his tongue is wise. ~NIV