The POWER of the Tongue

"But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison." -James 3:8

As I have looked at the book of James over the past month and continue to do so I am realizing more and more just what James was getting at in his writing this to the Jewish believers, and unbelievers. James is attempting to set up a series of "tests" so that one might self-examine their profession of faith, their walk with God, and discover whether they truly are in Him or not. The tests begins with trials and continue on, one test after another, in an effective manner that exhorts all who read it.

Chapter 3 in particular has been for me the most convicting as I have found myself reading the first half, verses 1-12, over and over again in order to better understand exactly what the Lord, through James is saying. The passage talks of the tongue, the restless evil, the small member of the body that boasts of great things, and what he seems to imply the untameable part of the body. James begins by saying that the person who never stumbles in what he says is the perfect man, therefore it is clear that everyone, apart from Jesus Christ, has and will stumble in their speech. James goes on to give three analogies about the tongue, each which help to illustrate his point. Let's take a look at each of these:

(1) The Bit in the Mouth of a Horse- A bit is a small object, a mouthpiece, that goes in the horse's mouth and allows them to be directed and moved. Again though it is small it has the power to control and influence everything in that person's life.

(2)The Rudder of a Ship- He begins with the idea of a ship being guided by the rudder. A rudder is in essence that which steers the ship. That means that James is saying that the tongue is that which "steers" the person. In other words this small part of our body reveals a lot about the rest of our lives, who we really are, it is revealing what really guides and directs us.

(2) The Fire- Like fire the tongues words can spread destruction rapidly and ruin and defile everything around.

As James continues he convicts even more when you read verses 9-11 which say, "With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?" This idea that from our mouths we speak honor and praise to God and then from the same mouth speak sinful things is contradictory, it should not be. Just like a fountain can not produce both fresh and salt whether, a believer should not be speaking anything unglorifying to God.

But I thought James said that only perfect people won't sin with their tongue? Yes, this is true, but this does not negate our pursuit of holiness and the reality that we are commanded to speak only that which honors the Lord and edifies others. This goes not only into the words we use but also the way we speak etc. We must realize the power of the tongue and seek to put a muzzle on it so to speak, to think before we speak, and to prayerfully seek the Lord's sanctification in our lives in this area. My heart's desire is to grow in my understanding of the Lord and the Word and that in doing that my speech will continue to change. I don't want to find myself justifying gossip, slander, careless speech etc. but rather seeking to guard my tongue from the fire it can set ablaze. James is not only setting forth a test of true saving faith but also exhorting all believers to examine their speech, their tongue, and to seek to use it only for good, may that be our prayer.

NO NOT ONE

I've had a song by Brandon Heath on replay for the past couple days and I can't help but share some of the lyrics in hopes it will help you REMEMBER as it did for me. But before you read let me encourage you with a brief word on what God has revealed recently to me, this being more of Himself. I feel like the more that I grow in my knowledge of Him the more passionately I fall in love with Him and the more deep His love becomes, the more rich, the more mind-boggling if you will. I am blown away when I think about the God of the universe bestowing His grace, mercy and LOVE upon a sinner like me. The fact that each day I receive His grace and mercy anew, the reality that His Spirit is dwelling within me and enabling me to live a life honoring to Him, and the Truth that He saved me makes me stand in awe. And then on top of that He chooses to bless me, and bless me abundantly...and why? Love. Simply that. Love, OH HOW HE LOVES! The depths, the mystery, the height, the weight of that love is nothing short of amazing. As the Psalmist said in Psalm 36:5 "Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies." This is SO true, His love is unsearchable, His faithfulness never-ending. What an amazing God we who have been saved serve and are blessed by.

May your heart be refreshed by these lyrics, for there is NO ONE like our God.

NO NOT ONE
Brandon Heath

No better word than from your lips
No perfect life than what you lived
No greater gift, no not one

No brighter star has ever shined
No better hope for all mankind
No higher mind, no not one

No one has ever known
This kind of love you’ve shown

There has never been a greater love
Than your son
No. Not one
And there’ll never be a name above
No, Not one
With his life you have forgiven us
Hope has come
Hope has come
And there will never be a greater love
No, Not one

No image true or sweeter frame
No simple word can match your name
No greater fame
No not one

No one has ever seen
The depth of your majesty

Chorus

No greater call
You gave us all a reason to live
No greater love
You gave us all a reason to give
No greater life
You gave us all a reason to shine
No greater love
Forever mine

The Fruit of Patience

Summer is almost over, can you believe it?! It is crazy how time flies and yet patience is something we as believers struggle so often with. Isn't it interesting how the greatest things in life seem to be the things we wait the longest for? The whole mentality of American culture is "I want it now" and quite often we get it right when we want it, but there is something so precious about patience, essential to the Christian's maturity and Christ likeness.

Patience is a word that is shunned both by culture and even in the evangelical world. It is something that we are not fond of in our flesh because it hurts, hurts our flesh that is. It produces a refined sort of character as if one has just been put through the fire, tested and tried. Patience has been the theme of my walk with the Lord, or one of them I should say, one because it is a huge part of every believer's life and two because it is something that I needed EXTRA refining in. You see I was never the one who did well with waiting for things, especially when it came to something I desired so much. So God, in His love and providence decided that trial after trial in my life would breed a deep rooted endurance and longsuffering as I was forced to be patient consistently.

What I have learned however is the value, the rich value of this character trait or discipline of the Godly life. I have found that in my patience God has drawn even nearer and in the fruition of the blessing, whatever unfolded, I have experienced a kind of joy that motivates a glorying in God I can't even describe. The waiting produced gratitude unexplainable. And the blessings that came in the end were greater than what I had imagined to begin with. I like what Jerry Bridges says, "The fruit of patience in all its aspects – long-suffering, forbearance, endurance, and perseverance – is a fruit that is most intimately associated with our devotion to God. All character traits of godliness grow out of and have their foundation in our devotion to God, but the fruit of patience must grow out of that relationship in a particular way." This is SO true, the fruit of patience is abundant and again is essential to the Christian life.

I can't tell you how many times in my life I tried to take God's plans into my own hands and help him out, to bring to fruition desires in my heart, to somehow manipulate God's will. What God quickly taught me, through trial, was that HE WAS IN CONTROL and no matter what I did, HIS will alone would prevail. I began to realize that I needed to start preaching to myself instead of listening to my selfish heart. Bridges again gets it right when he says, "The cure for impatience with the fulfillment of God’s timetable is to believe His promises, obey His will, and leave the results to Him. So often when God’s timetable stretches into years we become discouraged and…want to give up or try to work something out on [our] own." I needed to exhibit patience by having faith.

And where is our example of patience found in its perfect form? In Christ, and in God the Father as we see a patient enduring, bearing with that all who would be chosen would come to faith in Him. God looks on as the world lives counter to His will so to speak and patiently calls the chosen ones to Him.

Faith in this perfect God should compel obedience that leads to patience. And this patience will draw the child of God closer to him and reveal even more of Christ in their life. And what is the best reality of all is that He is working maturity in you that you would be complete and therefore your joy will only increase and the blessings will only become sweeter. You see patience is but a means to an end, Christ likeness, and only there is true joy and peace found. Therefore, be patient, wait on HIM, trust HIS promises, believe them and remember that His timetable is often different then our own but that His plans that will come to fruition in that time are ALWAYS better.

Our Response in Trial

I have recently been studying the book of James and have found such deep and rich Truth throughout. James sets forth a series of "tests" so to speak for the genuineness of your faith. It is interesting to see that the first test is that of trial. All Christians are promised testing, trial, and suffering in this life; it comes with the territory. Throughout the life of the believer trials are used to make the Christian more like Jesus and the response of that individual to that trial shows a lot about their Christian character. The Lord reminded me of the trials I have went through in the past and even some small ones that I am enduring now and encouraged me with this, "The Lord sows Christian character in the valleys and reaps it on the mountain tops. Thankful for sanctification and a God who is actively working and intimately involved in His kids' lives."

I look back over the years of my sanctification and I have seen God's hand actively involved in the details and circumstances of my life. The promise of Romans 8:28 has always proved to be true, God's faithfulness has never run dry and I pull away every time more and more amazed at the Lord and His providential working in my life. He has used every painful experience to refine me, to make me more like Jesus. In those moments I see the precious love of Jesus in a way I cannot even explain. In those times I feel His presence like no other time in my life. In trial I see the face of Jesus.

The encouragement James provides for the believer in this first test is that you are well on your way to perfection. How amazing is that?! We can find joy therefore in the midst of trial knowing that He is ACTIVELY working to make us mature, complete, perfect. We can find hope in our response. When trial comes do we trust the sovereign One? Do we run to His feet and cling tightly to the promises found in the Word? Do we remember His past faithfulness and His present faithfulness and endure? Do we find a peace and deep seated joy that surpasses understanding? Do we believe that He is working all things together for our good and His glory? How do YOU respond in trial? This will tell you much.

This old hymn is a great encouragement for the faithful saint...

WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS

What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden,
cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In his arms he'll take and shield thee;
thou wilt find a solace there.