OLD TESTAMENT: Isaiah 38-40
POETRY: Psalm 107
*NEW TESTAMENT: `James 1:19-27
Have you ever spoken without thinking and hurt someone as a result? Maybe you have seen this object lesson before, but think of a tube of toothpaste. It is really easy to squeeze the toothpaste out (my kids are happy to do so in excess if they make it to the counter before me). But once it is out, it is incredibly difficult, time consuming, and messy to get that toothpaste back in. Once you speak, you can’t take your words back. You can apologize, but that doesn’t change the fact of what you said.
How quickly do you become angry? I like verse 20 which gives us a reason why we should be slow to become angry – “for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.”
It is easy to get angry, to speak rudely, to interrupt others’ speech. But these things do not help us to live the life God wants us to. It might make us feel better for a second to have an outburst, but usually, we feel worse afterwards and it has done nothing to improve our lives.
But how do we go about avoiding this temptation that is easy to slide into?
“get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.”
In a small group I was a part of in the spring, there was an idea that kept coming up from discussing the sermons – if you aren’t producing good fruit in your life, take a look – are you letting sin have a hold in your life? We have to be constantly on the lookout for where sin seeps in and push it out in order that our fruit can show.
Verse 22 – “Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says[!]” You have to act. It is great to go to church, listen to sermons, classes, read the Bible on your own, etc. All great things. But if all you do is listen, it isn’t going to make a difference. You need to actively push the sin out of your life and pursue the good.
To circle back to the beginning of this section, here is what James writes in verse 26 “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight reign on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.”
That is strong language! Do you thing about your words having such an impact as to make your religion worthless if you do not control your tongue?
Think about your speech – do you need to work on controlling what you say? Is there speech you need to ask for forgiveness for? Is there speech you need to forgive someone else for? What moral filth do you need to get rid of in your life in order to be able to accept God’s word?
Silence has value. In the words of Thumper “if ya can’t say something nice, don’t say nothing at all.”
~Stephanie Fletcher
Reflection Questions
- Do you thing about your words having such an impact as to make your religion worthless if you do not control your tongue? When might you have questioned someone else’s religion because of what they said? When was the worth of your own religion decreased due to what you said?
- Think about your speech – do you need to work on controlling what you say? Is there speech you need to ask for forgiveness for? Is there speech you need to forgive someone else for?
- What moral filth do you need to get rid of in your life in order to be able to accept God’s word?
Seek Grow Love 