I was talking to a friend of mine the other day that was on his way to visit one of his relatives. He said something to the effect of, “I hate these visits. My tongue always hurts so bad afterward.” I asked, “Your tongue hurts?” He replied, “Yes. From biting it.”
James 3 gets at what may be our greatest struggle as sinful people (and it it’s not the greatest struggle it’s in the top 5!). How do you control your tongue?
How often have I said something and, looking back, wished I hadn’t! How often have I wished I had just shut up!
Speech has an amazing capacity to build people up or tear people down. It can strengthen community or it can ruin it. Our speech is also an area where we see the duplicity of our hearts. James asks, “Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water?” No. But out of our mouths comes both blessing and cursing, kindness and rudeness, gentleness and viciousness. It’s remarkable!
Should it be this way? No, but as James says, “we all stumble in many ways.” This is a reminder that we need to live by God’s grace and forgiveness. It is Jesus’ blood that cleanses us from the sin of evil speech. It is the working of the Holy Spirit that desalinates the spring of our mouths. (I am reminded of God making the bitter water sweet for the Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness after the Exodus.) However, when we take that cleansing for granted we also find that we tend to revert back to our old sinful habits. The same way the Israelites reverted back to their sinful habits when they lost sight of God’s mercy in their lives.
As James asks, “Who is wise and understanding among you?” we do well to remember Proverbs 9:10 which says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” Good conduct, humility or meekness, and wisdom all flow from the fear of the Lord – a right relationship God. This is a strange phrase to us who usually focus on loving the Lord, but it is important biblical doctrine that we should fear the Lord as well as love Him.
Fear of the Lord is a proper recognition of three things: our sin, God’s justice and God’s mercy. Our sins rightly put us in terror of God’s justice and judgment, however that is not what we have received! We have received mercy while Jesus’ received judgment! That should create a sense of awe in us that leads to humble wisdom because we know our place God’s economy: we are ridiculously valuable to him, although we have in no way earned that value! So there is no room for selfishness – everything we have is a gracious gift from God. There is no room for jealousness – everything they have is a gracious gift from God! Instead, as we recognize what we’ve received from God in his mercy and love we are moved to be peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And that will influence how we speak to one another as well!
Father in heaven, thank you for the gift of speech. I have not always used this gift to build people up, nor have I always displayed wisdom with it. Help me to be so convinced and awed by your mercy and grace for me that it impacts my speech and behavior so that others will experience your mercy and grace for them through me. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
James 3 gets at what may be our greatest struggle as sinful people (and it it’s not the greatest struggle it’s in the top 5!). How do you control your tongue?
How often have I said something and, looking back, wished I hadn’t! How often have I wished I had just shut up!
Speech has an amazing capacity to build people up or tear people down. It can strengthen community or it can ruin it. Our speech is also an area where we see the duplicity of our hearts. James asks, “Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water?” No. But out of our mouths comes both blessing and cursing, kindness and rudeness, gentleness and viciousness. It’s remarkable!
Should it be this way? No, but as James says, “we all stumble in many ways.” This is a reminder that we need to live by God’s grace and forgiveness. It is Jesus’ blood that cleanses us from the sin of evil speech. It is the working of the Holy Spirit that desalinates the spring of our mouths. (I am reminded of God making the bitter water sweet for the Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness after the Exodus.) However, when we take that cleansing for granted we also find that we tend to revert back to our old sinful habits. The same way the Israelites reverted back to their sinful habits when they lost sight of God’s mercy in their lives.
As James asks, “Who is wise and understanding among you?” we do well to remember Proverbs 9:10 which says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” Good conduct, humility or meekness, and wisdom all flow from the fear of the Lord – a right relationship God. This is a strange phrase to us who usually focus on loving the Lord, but it is important biblical doctrine that we should fear the Lord as well as love Him.
Fear of the Lord is a proper recognition of three things: our sin, God’s justice and God’s mercy. Our sins rightly put us in terror of God’s justice and judgment, however that is not what we have received! We have received mercy while Jesus’ received judgment! That should create a sense of awe in us that leads to humble wisdom because we know our place God’s economy: we are ridiculously valuable to him, although we have in no way earned that value! So there is no room for selfishness – everything we have is a gracious gift from God. There is no room for jealousness – everything they have is a gracious gift from God! Instead, as we recognize what we’ve received from God in his mercy and love we are moved to be peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And that will influence how we speak to one another as well!
Father in heaven, thank you for the gift of speech. I have not always used this gift to build people up, nor have I always displayed wisdom with it. Help me to be so convinced and awed by your mercy and grace for me that it impacts my speech and behavior so that others will experience your mercy and grace for them through me. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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