“Words can wound deeper than swords.” ~unknown
- Right now as you read this stop. Take a breath and focus on your breathing for one min.
- Now take a look at James 3:1-12 Common English Bible
My brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers, because we know that we teachers will be judged more strictly. We all make mistakes often, but those who don’t make mistakes with their words have reached full maturity. Like a bridled horse, they can control themselves entirely. When we bridle horses and put bits in their mouths to lead them wherever we want, we can control their whole bodies.
Consider ships: They are so large that strong winds are needed to drive them. But pilots direct their ships wherever they want with a little rudder. In the same way, even though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts wildly.
Think about this: A small flame can set a whole forest on fire. The tongue is a small flame of fire, a world of evil at work in us. It contaminates our entire lives. Because of it, the circle of life is set on fire. The tongue itself is set on fire by the flames of hell.
People can tame and already have tamed every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and fish. No one can tame the tongue, though. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we both bless the Lord and Father and curse human beings made in God’s likeness. Blessing and cursing come from the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, it just shouldn’t be this way!
Both fresh water and salt water don’t come from the same spring, do they? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree produce olives? Can a grapevine produce figs? Of course not, and fresh water doesn’t flow from a saltwater spring either.
3. What sticks out to you most about this reading?
My Reflection:
We are responsible for what we say. How are you building the kingdom of God with your words? What if you use that as a filter to think about before you spoke and if it won’t build up the kingdom maybe not saying it would be better than saying it.
4. Now take another deep breath and let the Holy Spirit in to work on you and through you.
Song that spoke to me:
@mattdamethodist 
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