NOVEMBER 1 READING…JAMES 3
James says it is the perfect person that has the faith to control their tongue. The point is we need to walk in genuine faith in Jesus, so that our tongue reflects His control, and not have our tongues control us. Fights and even wars begin with the battle of the tongue. The perfection James speaks of is the maturity we have when the Holy Spirit grows us to the point of total surrender of everything we are to Him, even the surrender of our tongues. The tongue can boast great things that are not based in reality. This could be anything from a simple exaggeration to a full-blown lie. The tongue can encourage of discourage. It can build up or tear down. The tongue cans speak words of love or words of hate. Our tongues need to be under the control of the Holy Spirit so that we can take the Scripture of the page and live what it says. “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.” (Ephesians 4:29) Before we say it we need to ask, Is it helpful, is it destructive, is it true, can I say it in love? When our tongues speak the things of God, in the love of God, then we are genuinely followers of Christ who have taken it off the page.
James tells us that the wisdom that comes from the world produces bitterness, self-seeking, and causes us to lie about the truth. This is the exact opposite of what the wisdom that comes from God produces in us, which is the love of Christ, the care for others, and a love for the truth. Worldly wisdom does not come from God, but is demonic in its origin. This should concern us, because either we are listening and following Christ, or we are being led by the devil. The devil works in the lives of people to foster envy and jealousy to make everything about self, while neglecting God and others. He always brings confusion rather than clarity. He brings discord rather than peace. He is working among us to draw us to every evil thing. The wisdom that comes from God is always pure and good. It is peace loving, gentle, and willing to yield to God and others. It if full of mercy and brings forth good fruit, it can do no other, for it originates from God. It allows us in a world full of partiality and hypocrisy to practice neither. We need to see the distinct difference between these two types of wisdom. We need to receive and walk only in the wisdom of God, for this is true wisdom. As we walk in the Lord’s wisdom, we take it off the page.
Please share your thoughts.
MONDAY’S READING…JAMES 4
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