With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so.” vss. 9-10
James 3:6-12
As James continues his discussion of the tongue, he indicates that our use of it for both blessing God and cursing our neighbor is a travesty. And he’s right! And we would be hard-pressed to find a better example than the current election campaign. We’re regularly hearing words of defamation and abuse from nearly everyone with a political ax to grind. And then we pass on those half-truths and fabrications as though they were the gospel truth. We need to make up our minds. The gift of speech is an incredible gift. Why would we even think of using it to pass on gossip and rumors? Just imagine how good life would be if we only used our mouths to build up our neighbors and put the most charitable construction on all they do or say? Some say that would take the “fun” out of life–it seems they get more joy from passing on a spicy story than saying something nice. That may be true for some people, but not for those who have an interest in restoring goodness to our world. We’ve been tearing down long enough! Maybe it’s about time for us to start building up!
Thought for the Day: What juicy stories are the “funnest” to share?
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