Today’s reading is James 3.
When James gives a tremendous example of the evil the tongue can enact he doesn’t trot out false doctrine, cussing, or dirty jokes. Rather, he mentions the poison of cursing people. We might think it is no big deal to curse people. After all, we aren’t like those wicked rich people we learned about in the last chapter who blaspheme God. We bless God. In the context of this chapter, a teacher in the church might think speaking highly of God, praising God, proclaiming the truth about God makes up for cursing, belittling, speaking evil of, grumbling against people. James says otherwise.
Blessing and cursing can’t proceed from the same heart through the same mouth any more than fresh water can come from a salt pond. Any fresh water finding its way into a salt pond will end up salinized. In other words, if our heart is full of cursing, then even the blessing of God we utter becomes cursed. As James said, if we don’t bridle our tongues, our religion is worthless. Blessing God does not make up for cursing people.
James then ties this teaching about speech to the false teachers and prophets against whom Jesus spoke in Matthew 7:15-19. We will know a false teacher by his fruit. After all, you can’t get grapes from thornbushes, figs from a grapevine, or olives from a fig tree. Cursing comes from those who are accursed.
How often do we wish we had a barometer of our standing before God. Don’t we sometimes just wish we knew what God thought of us and our relationship with Him? James is giving us one. The problem is, we tend to make excuses for this barometer. When this barometer exposes our heart, we try to act like it isn’t doing that at all. Instead, we deceive our hearts. We tell our hearts what we said didn’t really matter.
How about today we do some fearless, thorough inventory of our speech? Cursing is only one example of foul speech. If we examine our speech and find malice, clamoring, hatred, immorality, sensuality, we are seeing our heart. We often try to dismiss our speech sins by claiming, “God knows my heart.” James’s point is simply this. When we see our speech, we know what God knows about our heart.
May we submit our hearts, our mouths, and our bodies to God.
Tomorrow’s reading is James 3.
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Discuss the Following Questions with Your Family
- What are your initial reactions to the chapter and the written devo above?
- What causes us to curse, bad mouth, belittle people?
- Why do we like to think saying good things about God makes up for saying bad things about people?
- When are times we do need to express that someone is judged or cursed by God?
- What do you think we should pray for and about in light of this chapter and today’s post?
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