#DailyDevotion What Kind Of Water Comes Out Of Your Mouth?
James 3:9-12 9We praise the Lord and Father with our tongue and with it curse other people, who once were made like God. 10Praise and cursing come from the same mouth. We mustn’t do that, my fellow Christians. 11Does a spring from the same opening pour fresh and bitter water? 12My fellow Christians, can a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
First, to address something that might seem light a throwaway but is most definitely important. James says, “with it curse other people, who once were made like God.” Why are sins against other people such a big deal? Because they were made in the image and likeness of God. So imagine this, I come to you house, see a picture of your aunt Sue, grab it, hug it and kiss it. What do you think my attitude towards Sue is? I must love her right? Contrary, if take the same picture, spit on it, throw it to the ground and stomp on it, what is my attitude towards Sue? Well I must hate her very much. In the same fashion how I treat my fellow human beings made in the image and likeness of God demonstrates what I think about God. This is why love fulfills the whole law. If I love my fellow man, I love God. If I hate my fellow man, I hate God whose image and likeness s/he bears.
So back to the main thrust of this Scripture, using your tongue. Are we praising the LORD and Father with our tongue and cursing our fellow human beings, made in God’s image and likeness? Yes? Then we are contradicting ourselves for God is not receiving our praise when we curse them. We are demonstrating on conflict in ourselves. Fresh and bitter water should not come from the same well. Blessing and cursing should not be coming from our mouths as Christians. A salt spring (is there such a thing?) cannot produce fresh water.
Yes, I know, we will and often do fail miserably. Jame is calling us on our contradictory nature. With the power of the Holy Spirit we need to confess our sin of misusing our tongue, using it to to tear down our neighbor instead of build up, to defend and to put everything in the kindest light. That does not mean we don’t call a spade a spade. James most certainly is in this letter, We should do likewise for the same purpose, to call people to repentance and to faith in Jesus.
With the power of the Holy Spirit we pray the Creator and Gifter of speech to use our tongues to proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ, to reprove sins, to forgive sins, to build people up in the eyes of others and to defend their reputations. We ask Him to give us the spiritual gift of self-control so we can control our tongues to the glory of God and His Christ, Jesus of Nazareth.
Almighty and Everlasting Father, you gave us the gift of speech. Give us now your Holy Spirit that we may use our tongues for which they were created to properly praise you and to build up our fellowman with your word and promises and keep us from misusing them by cursing others. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.