TODAY’S SIGNATURE VERSE ••• With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. (James 3:9 ESV)
PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• I love the book of James. Every time I read it, I admire his pull-no-punches style and direct candor. There’s nothing subtle in his message. He doesn’t tiptoe into his topics. He just comes out, both guns blazing. He is, in my opinion, an action hero of the Bible. He isn’t passive but is eager and willing to defend the Truth.
And one of my favorite passages in the Bible comes from James 3: Taming the Tongue. And good grief, if ever there was a need for a reminder on this, it’s now.
In James 3:1-8, James succinctly states the issues with our tongues. He compares the tongue to a fire. Unrighteous. Untamable. Restless. Evil. Poisonous. He does not mince words. And then, when we get to verse 9, he said of the tongue, “With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.”
And this is where I want to park for a bit today. If your Facebook account looks anything like mine, you see this with frequency. A post to “Praise God from whom all blessings flow!” Then, a post that declares, “People are stupid.”
And let’s be fair. People do stupid things.
There are plenty of occasions where admittedly, my first thought is, “That person is an idiot.” I’m writing this to myself as much as a reminder to anyone else… but we need to keep in mind that even the people who DO stupid things… who SAY stupid things… who HAVE stupid ideas we disagree with… All of those people are made in the likeness of God. And Jesus died for them as much as He died for you or me.
While we are called to speak the Truth unashamedly, we have to be mindful that in our zeal, we don’t let our tongue stain our testimony or limit our ability to show the love of Jesus. We need to pray for people. And we need to pray for ourselves too, that we will speak to others with compassionate hearts that mirror the heart of Jesus. We need to pray for the Holy Spirit to give us eyes that see others the way Jesus does.
We need to pray for the Holy Spirit to guide our tongues. And even, at times, to slap His holy hand of restraint across our mouths when we start to speak before we pray.
Today, as you pray, thank Jesus for modeling how we should speak. Thank God for the truthful candor and reminder found in the book of James. And ask the Holy Spirit to guide your words and your attitude towards others. Ask Him to give you eyes to see others through the lens of Jesus and a tongue that praises Him and proclaims His goodness from a genuine heart of love.
SHARING ••• My Grace-Full Life is written by Denise Heidel. You are welcome to share anything I write, but please credit my writing and graphics accordingly. Visit www.MyGraceFullLife.com to read past blogs. Subscribe through my website to have My Grace-Full Life delivered to your email. You can unsubscribe at any time. Unless noted otherwise, all Scripture references are from the ESV translation.
