Show What Does The Bible Says Say I By REV LEO E E. E RUBEL Perhaps most of the forest fires that lay waste many acres of timber each year in our parks and mountains are caused by careless motorists who throw i lighted matches of smokes from their cars One single spark is enough to devastate a mountainside JUST ONE careless act can destroy lovely and valuable forests forests forests for for- ests animal and plant life even human lives and homes The result re result result re- re sult seems out of proportion with the a apt act t. t One careless motorist motorist motorist mo mo- causes an inferno of de destruction destruction destruction de- de that requires thousands thousands thousands thou thou- sands of fire fighters and scars the mountainside for man many y years Similarly a few words carried carried carried car car- ried with the poison of malice can cause a landslide of sorrow and bitterness God compares the evil speaker to a man who firebrands Yet none of oC us is free Cree from tongue trouble trou- trou ble As Smokey the Bear re reminds reminds reminds re- re minds us to be careful with fire so the Holy Spirit Spira reminds us tobe to tobe be careful with the tongue I I TONGUE TROUBLE comes I from heart trouble The Bible says Out of the heart proceed I evil thoughts murders adulteries adulteries adulteries adul adul- teries fornications th thefts e false witness blasphemies Matthew 15 19 The secret of overcoming it is not in sealed lips but in sanctified hearts God tells us to speak every word for someone's edification that it may minister grace to the hearers There are so many good tl things to say that it is when our tongues are used to destroy rather than build to devastate rather than preserve THE BIBLE BIDLE says A A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver i Proverbs 25 11 The tongue I Ican ican can do a world of oC good but it itcan itcan I Ican can also do a world orld of evil I A word of strife can break a aheart aheart aheart heart ruin a trip break up a family offend God Our resolve must be clear O ao 0 God give me mea a new heart for a true tongue I and a sincere life I The he Bible le says ys H He Ltha t a. a ul uld love life liCe and see good davy r da t thim r him refrain his tongue from evil I and his lips that they speak no guile 1 Peter 3 10 I |