A friend of mine is the captain of a 90-foot yacht. He mentioned to me how the owner hired him based on his extensive experience with similar vessels and needed someone he could trust. This luxurious yacht is fully computerized and has all the bells and whistles you can imagine.

Contrast this to my 17-foot flats boat, and there’s no comparison except for one significant similarity, the rudder proportion. Rudders are the primary steering devices for all ships. The main purpose of rudders is to keep course and maneuvering. In essence, rudders are essential for navigation safety and efficiency.

Many people don’t know that rudder size and proportion are similar across all ships. Despite their critical importance, the rudder size is determined by calculating 2% of the underwater profile area. This fact means that for every boat, the rudder size is significantly smaller than the entire size of the ship.

Scripture tells us we, too, have a small part of us capable of steering or wrecking our entire life, the tongue. We’re to be cautious on how we use it and vigilant to make sure we’re responsible for what we say. We have the power of life and death with words.

Daily Directive:

Answer and Journal the Following

Read:

Read and meditate on James 3:1-6 for yourself. 

Pray:

Take an inventory of the things you say today for the next hour. Write down as much as you can.

Meditate / Make It Real:

Create a plan of action and determine how you will start to use edifying words and steering yourself and others in the right direction. Be specific and write it down.

Share / Show:

Share this with a fellow brother and have them hold you accountable.