Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Monday, September 21, 2020

"But no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be."¹

Jim Rohn says, "You can cut down a tree with a hammer, but it takes about 30 days. If you trade the hammer for an ax, you can cut it down in about 30 minutes. The difference between 30 days and 30 minutes is skills."²

You could also put it this way: You can cut down a tree with an axe in about 30 minutes, with a chain saw in about fiveâ€"so having the right tools for the job is a big help too!

On the other hand, it may take 30 years or more to replace that tree. So we need to be extremely careful before we start cutting down anything of value as we may never be able to replace it. Like blow upon blow of a sharp axe, blow upon blow of cutting words can hurt deeply, ruin a marriage, severely damage a friendship, and destroy the self-concept of a child!

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, grant that my speech and my conversation will always be seasoned with grace and truth, and never be used to chop or cut anyone down. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus's name. Amen."

1. James 3:8-10 (NIV).
2. Cited on "Quotes From the Masters."

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