I “cooked” some water this morning for coffee. As it got hotter, some of the water turned to vapor. I could see it. But not for long.

Is that how my life has been? Is that how my life is?

“Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away” (James 4:14).

Yep, that’s my life.

Therefore let me use it wisely.

Let me value that which is truly valuable.

Let me treasure relationships and encourage people.

Let me love the Lord and follow His ways and do His work.

Let me build for eternity and lay up treasures in heaven.

Because my life here has the duration of steam off cooking water.

The subject is the tongue. My tongue, to be more precise.

“Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?” (James 3:11).

Anytime I choose to speak ill of another, I’m contaminating any “sweet water” I may have spoken before.

Maybe even after as well!

That means it is nigh to impossible to compensate for bad speech by spewing out a bunch of good speech.

Adding a bunch of sweet water to bitter water really doesn’t redeem the bitter water. It still tastes bad.

So . . . don’t indulge bad speech, Mark.