A 19-year-old sailor was charged with arson as a result of an incident that happened in the summer of 2020. The sailor allegedly became so disgruntled with his duties that he set off a spark that turned into a blaze that destroyed a $1.2 billion warship.

$1.2 billion! That’s a lot of damage from one little spark!

With that in mind, let’s consider the power of the spoken word. The Bible says that we can do a lot of good with what we say, but it also warns of the potential damage we can do with our words. James 3:5b-6 says, “…Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.”

Let us always be on guard against speaking carelessly. A thoughtless word can cause great damage to a relationship, to a family or to a church. Be very careful when you speak!