Insight Into the Scriptures
James was written by James (Our Lord's brother) it was written around 49AD. The audience, who it was written for, were Jewish Christians, there were tensions spreading throughout the Roman Empire. James was also trying to expose hypocritical practices and teach Christians to "act" like Christians.
Blessings
This is another awesome book. If you find time, James is well worth reading. It has some wonderful passages on suffering, and insightful guidelines for living a life pleasing too Christ.
It is hard to live a life that is holy when you are bombarded by the world and it's values 24/7. James is a nice way to reset yourself and your values.
"You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." - James 4:4-5
"My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires."
"The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell."
"No man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be."
Thought for the Day
I can't tell you how many times I have felt bad for speaking to quickly, I end up saying something that I should have not said, or wish that I could of worded better. Just last night our family was having dinner, we were talking about a subject that was close to my heart, and I spoke too harshly to our son. You NEVER get those moments back, once you speak, whatever you said is on that person's heart FOREVER.
The way James describes the tongue is very true, is it not? How many times has a huge rumor started from one person saying one very little hurtful sentence. How many people have been hurt by our tongues? How many people have you hurt?
Do you think that it was a coincidence that James talked about Godly living, right after taming the tongue? No, it is no coincidence at all. We as Followers of Christ need to learn to tame our tongues. We need to set an example to the hundreds of people that we may come in contact with everyday. Today, I would examine what comes out of your mouth. Are your words hurtful or encouraging, do they tear down or build up?
No comments:
Post a Comment