Hypocrite and Slanderer
Messerschmidt, Franz Xaver, 1736?-1783. Hypocrite and Slanderer, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=55379 [retrieved September 10, 2021]. Original source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Franz_Xaver_Messerschmidt_002.JPG.
Exploring the Text: Watching what we say
Have you ever said something that you regretted as soon as it came out of your mouth? The answer is a definite “YES”. I say that because we have all done it. The nice thing is that you are not alone. All of us have said things that we should not have.
James describes that dilemma in this passage. He shares that animals are controlled by the dominance of humans, but who is here to control us? We must rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us.
The tongue is a necessary evil. We have to have it to be able to speak to others and to worship God, however, that same tongue can produce lies, gossip, back biting, curse words and other negative words in general. The question here is “How do we avoid this slippery slope”?
The real truth is that the tongue is the outward manifestation of the inward condition of the heart. In other words, the tongue speaks of what is on the heart. It is like the old adage “garbage in, garbage out”. Keeping the heart pure will allow the tongue to speak, truth, encouragement, praise, adoration, and positive words to God and to others.
Even though the concept is simple, bringing it to reality in life is not so much. Even King David prayed “create in me a clean heart O God” (Psalm 51:10). There are several things we can do to create and sustain a clean heart before God. Such as:
Let's do our best to live with a clean heart and a positive tongue. Let's be encouraging and speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).
Rick Heinrich
Have you ever said something that you regretted as soon as it came out of your mouth? The answer is a definite “YES”. I say that because we have all done it. The nice thing is that you are not alone. All of us have said things that we should not have.
James describes that dilemma in this passage. He shares that animals are controlled by the dominance of humans, but who is here to control us? We must rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us.
The tongue is a necessary evil. We have to have it to be able to speak to others and to worship God, however, that same tongue can produce lies, gossip, back biting, curse words and other negative words in general. The question here is “How do we avoid this slippery slope”?
The real truth is that the tongue is the outward manifestation of the inward condition of the heart. In other words, the tongue speaks of what is on the heart. It is like the old adage “garbage in, garbage out”. Keeping the heart pure will allow the tongue to speak, truth, encouragement, praise, adoration, and positive words to God and to others.
Even though the concept is simple, bringing it to reality in life is not so much. Even King David prayed “create in me a clean heart O God” (Psalm 51:10). There are several things we can do to create and sustain a clean heart before God. Such as:
- Accept Jesus as your savior, for the remission of sins.
- Adopt a positive attitude; look for the good in things rather than the bad.
- Worship and praise God.
- Avoid negativity from other people and surround yourself with those that are positive.
- Avoid media that is not positive and encouraging (Internet sites, movies, television programs, music, books, etc.).
Let's do our best to live with a clean heart and a positive tongue. Let's be encouraging and speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).
Rick Heinrich
Spiritual Practices: Breath Prayer
Overview
In this passage James talks extensively about managing our tongue, or what we say. He talks about how much damage we can do with it and how easy it is to do. As you read this, maybe you are remembering times when you have spoken carelessly, thoughtlessly, or angrily and have hurt someone else. Maybe you are remembering a time when someone has spoken that way to you and hurt you. There is healing, restoration, and forgiveness available through Jesus for the wounds caused by words, but there is also help through the Holy Spirit to tame our tongues so that we don't cause those wounds in the future. That is what this breath prayer is about.
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, help me control my tongue today.
Overview
In this passage James talks extensively about managing our tongue, or what we say. He talks about how much damage we can do with it and how easy it is to do. As you read this, maybe you are remembering times when you have spoken carelessly, thoughtlessly, or angrily and have hurt someone else. Maybe you are remembering a time when someone has spoken that way to you and hurt you. There is healing, restoration, and forgiveness available through Jesus for the wounds caused by words, but there is also help through the Holy Spirit to tame our tongues so that we don't cause those wounds in the future. That is what this breath prayer is about.
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, help me control my tongue today.