There’s a card in a drawer somewhere in your house that you can’t bring yourself to throw away, because of a few lines somebody wrote inside it. Most of us can also still repeat, word for word, something cruel a person said to us years ago.
James says the tongue is a small thing that steers everything else. Join us Sunday, October 18 at 11 AM ET for “The Power of Your Words” as we continue “Everyday Faith” in James and share communion together. Can’t make it in the room? Join us online.
🐎 “If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well” (James 3:3). A very small rudder turns a ship driven by strong winds (v. 4). Our words set the direction of a family, a friendship, a workplace, a church.
🔥 “How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!” (v. 5). One rumor, one sarcastic comment, one sentence said in anger. James even admits “no human being can tame the tongue” (v. 8). Willpower won’t fix this one.
💧 “With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God” (v. 9). Every person you’re tempted to cut down carries God’s image. A spring doesn’t pour fresh water and salt water from the same opening (v. 11).
🕊️ “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere” (v. 17). Picture that at your kitchen table, in the group text, or in the comments section.
🌾 “And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” (v. 18). Every conversation plants something.
James admits, “we all stumble in many ways” (James 3:2). Jesus never did. Peter, who knew Him as well as anyone, wrote, “He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return” (1 Pet. 2:22-23). People insulted Him all the way to the cross, and He died for them anyway. Jesus said “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matt. 12:34), so that’s where He starts with us.
So this week, take Jim’s challenge: three sincere words of encouragement every day. Text the friend who’s gone quiet. Thank the volunteer nobody notices. Tell your kids what you see God doing in them. And before the sharp reply goes out, ask where it’s going to take the conversation. That’s everyday faith.
⏰ Join us LIVE Sunday, October 18 @ 11 AM ET
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