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The dangers of the tongue

James warns that tongues can say good and bad.
Contributed by Richard Gunther
Story also available on our translated websites: Spanish, Portuguese, Polish
1
This is the rudder on a boat that is used to steer it in the right direction. The rudder is small but it changes the direction of the large boat. – Slide 1
2
This is the rudder on a large ocean-going ship. A ship is very big, and it is pushed by strong winds. But a very small rudder controls that big ship. – Slide 2
3
This small piece of metal in the horse’s mouth is called a ‘bit’. We put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us. – Slide 3
4
When the rider pulls on the reins the ‘bit’ moves in the horses mouth indicating what direction to go and when to stop. – Slide 4
5
In the Bible, in the book of James, we learn that our tongues may be very small but they control what we say. They can control the direction of our lives. – Slide 5
6
What you say can direct your life. Our words can be good and bring peace or they can be bad and cause harm. The tongue is a small part of the body, but it boasts about doing great things. – Slide 6
7
A big forest fire can be started with only a little flame. And the tongue is like a fire. It can say bad things that cause so much trouble and hurt. No one can tame the tongue. We can say harmful, poisonous things one moment and good things the next. – Slide 7
8
We use our tongues to praise God, but then we say hurtful things about others. Does good and bad water flow from the same spring? A well full of salty water cannot give good water. We should be careful to use our tongues to say things that please God. – Slide 8
9
Can a fig tree make olives? Can a grapevine make figs? No! Imagine you are a fruit tree. Saying good things brings out the right fruit in our lives. – Slide 9
10
Slide 10