But know that James chapter three is the topic of the day
With his direct and forceful style, James does continue
About “taming the tongue” many points he clearly knew
He warns that those who teach are judged more strictly
So to be careful as none of us can live our lives perfectly
James reminds us of the power of the bit in a horse’s mouth
And of a ship’s small rudder which can turn it east or south
One small spark can set off a forest fire killing trees very tall
Similarly, the tongue is powerful despite being quite small
James points out that many animals humans can tame
But taming the tongue's ‘deadly poison’ is not the same
With our words, we praise God and yet also curse others
Despite the fact that as God’s creations, all are brothers
In verse ten, James says that this dichotomy should not be
For from a spring, both salt and fresh water we do not see
About different types of wisdom James writes from verse thirteen
“Who is wise and understanding among you?” is the question seen
Wisdom is demonstrated by good deeds done with humility
“Bitter envy and selfish ambition" others should not see
For that is earthly, unspiritual, and not from heaven above
Wisdom from heaven is full of peace, sincerity, and love
Those "who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness”
And of course prevent themselves from causing a big mess
This chapter is a good reminder about words and actions for me
For both can uplift others for God or act as tools of the enemy
I must remember that words, once spoken, cannot be deleted
So it is better to hold my tongue until thoughts are completed
I must also remember that good deeds do not need to be viewed
For God sees all, whereas others’ observations can be skewed
No comments:
Post a Comment