After James says that teachers will be judged with a greater strictness because they say and use words to point people to Christ, he gives three examples of the power of the tongue and our words. The first example is a bit that’s placed in the mouth of a horse to guide it in the direction the rider wants to go. The small bit guides the horse’s whole body. Secondly, the small rudder on a boat steers the boat in the direction the pilot wants to sail. Thirdly, a small spark has the potential to set a whole forest ablaze. James is trying to warn us that the tongue is a small thing yet has the power to do irreparable harm to others and to ourselves. This is why we must pay careful attention to what we say and the words we use.

• Think of a fourth example to add to James’s three, where something small can control something major. Write it below.