James 3:1. Teaching was a highly valued and respected profession in Jewish culture, and many Jews who embraced Christianity wanted to become teachers. James warned that although it is good to aspire to teach, the teachers” responsibility is great because their words and example affect others” spiritual lives. If you are in a teaching or leadership role, how are you affecting those you lead?
James 3: 2,3. What you say and what you don’t say are both important. Proper speech is not only saying the right words at the right time, but it is also controlling your desire to say what you shouldn’t. Examples of an untamed tongue include gossiping, putting others down, bragging, manipulating, false teachings, exaggerating, complaining, flattering, and lying. Before you speak, ask ,’’ Is what I want to say true? Is it necessary? Is it kind?
James 3:6 James compares the damage the tongue can do to a raging fire- the tongue’s wickedness has its source in hell itself. The uncontrolled tongue can do terrible damage. Satan uses the tongue to divide people and pit them against one another. Idle and hateful words are damaging because they spread destruction quickly, and no one can stop the results once they are spoken. We dare not be careless with what we say, thinking we can apologize later, because even if we do, the scars remain. A few words spoken in anger can destroy a relationship that took years to build. Before you speak, remember that words are like fire, you can neither control nor reverse the damage they can do.
James 3: 8. If no human being can control the tongue, why bother trying? Even if we may not achieve perfect control of our tongues, we can still learn enough control to reduce the damage our words can do. It is better to fight a fire than go around setting new ones. Remember that we are not fighting the tongues fire in our own strength. The Holy Spirit will give us increasing power to monitor and control what we say, so that when we are offended, the Spirit will remind us of God’s love , and we won’t react in a hateful manner. When we are criticized, the Spirit will heal the hurt, and we won't lash out.
James 3: 9,12. Our contradictory speech often puzzles us. At times our words are right and pleasing to God, but at other times they are violent and destructive. Which of these two speech patterns reflects our true identity? The tongue gives us a picture of our basic human sin. God works to change us from the inside out. When the Holy Spirit purifies a heart, he gives self-control so that the person will speak words that please God.
James 3:13-18. Have you ever known anyone who claimed to be wise but who acted foolishly? True wisdom can be measured by the depth of a person’s character. Just as you can identify a tree by the type of fruit it produces, you can evaluate your wisdom by the way you act. Foolishness leads to disorder , but wisdom leads to peace and goodness.
James 3:14,15. Bitter envy and selfish ambition are inspired by the devil. It is easy for us to be drawn into wrong desires by the pressures of society and sometimes and even sometimes even by well –meaning Christians. By listening to the advice; Assert yourself, go for it, set high goals, we can be drawn into greed and destructive competitiveness. Seeking God’s wisdom delivers us from the need to compare ourselves to others and to want what they have.
When you pray and your problems get smaller and smaller, it means that God is getting bigger and bigger.
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