Kids Bible Devotional for May 21, 2024
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Focus Verse
James 3:4-5 Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. (NKJV)
Jump Start
“Don’t underestimate small things. Small does not mean weak."
The ancient Greek philosopher Leucippus of Miletus of the 5th century B.C. believed there was a portion of matter so small that it could not be cut. This unit became known as the atom. In Greek, the “a” in atom means “not” and the “tom” in atom comes from the Greek word “tomas” meaning cut. So, atom means “not cut” or uncuttable.
Leucippus was centuries ahead of his time. Nonetheless, the Manhattan Project in the 1940s found a way to split the uncuttable. This top-secret project headed by some of the world’s leading physicists and scientists successfully split the atom, a process we know today as fission. This paved the way to the development of the first atomic bomb that ended the war between the United States and Japan in 1945.
How can something so small and imperceptible as the atom hold such destructive force? This is something James pondered, but not about matter but about our own tongue.
Today's Devotion
Hunter’s mom went to his room to see why he had not come down for breakfast and found him still in bed. “Why are you still sleeping? You’re going to be late for school.”
“I feel horrible.” Hunter let out a cough.
Mother felt his forehead. “You do feel really warm.”
“I think I’m going to die.”
“You’re not going to die.” Mother returned a minute later with a thermometer. She slid it into Hunter’s mouth. When it beeped, she read out his temperature from the display. “102. Yep, you definitely have a fever. You probably have the flu.”
“Will I be well by this weekend?” Hunter asked.
“If it’s the flu, you’re down for at least a week.”
“A week?” Hunter whined. “But the big game is this weekend.”
“You’ll have to forget about baseball, I’m afraid,” she said. “Not only will you be too sick to play, but the flu is contagious. You don’t want to get your teammates sick, do you?”
Hunter groaned pitifully. “No, but….ugh! How can such a tiny germ cause this much grief?”
“Viruses may be invisible to the naked eye, but they pack a powerful punch.”
“I thought great things came in small packages. Not true. What can be worse that germs?”
“While it’s true, germs are small, and they can present a lot of problems, our tongue is small too, and it can cause issues. Our words do more to start wars, create divisions, and offend others than even the deadliest microorganism.”
“You’re right about that,” Hunter said. “One time, my friend Trevor said some really mean things about me. It hurt my feelings worse than this.”
Mom straightened Hunter’s bedspread. “Words can hurt, but they can also do some real good. They can lift someone when they’re down or make someone feel loved. The most common way to share God’s love with someone is with our testimony.”
“Words are powerful – for good or bad. I guess it’s all in the way you use them,” Hunter said.
“Very well said.” Mother patted Hunter on the knee. “Right now, I have one word for you: rest.”
“Music to my ears.” Hunter closed his eyes and soon drifted off to sleep.
Wrap Up
Although a small member of the body, the tongue can do more harm or good than any other member according to James. Our words can be contagious, spreading love. Or it can spread offense. The choice is ours. Choose your words wisely. Be one who spreads God’s love to everyone you meet.
How can you use your words to bring hope and peace to someone today?
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