by Elizabeth | Mar 18, 2011 | Learning Story
“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.” James 3:14-18
We’ve been looking for the last week at James’ warnings about the tongue in chapter 3. He concludes the chapter with a passage on wisdom and the final charge describes peacemakers.
Here’s the thing — peaceful words are sometimes “fighting words.” If a woman tells me her husband is abusing her, whether with words or with fists, wisdom dictates I speak. If my daughter were to act like a fool and refuse to study for her AP Environmental test because it involves reading about “oozing sludge” — well, frankly, I wouldn’t blame her, but you get the picture — if our children persist in doing life their own way, some strong words would be wise.
The best resource I know on what it means to pursue love boldly is Dan Allender and Tremper Longman’s book Bold Love. They make it clear that love isn’t necessarily nice. Read these excerpts of his passage on “Good Words”:
“To bless is to give words of life that nourish the soul and deepen its desire for truth. Words offer grace to our enemy and ask God the Father for grace that benefits our enemy.”
Dan reminds us that the fact that it is difficult to think of the right words in the moment is not an excuse for not seeking them:
“Before entering a war, we need to enter the heavenly realm, asking for help. We are to pray to the Father to act on behalf of our enemies; we are to pray for God to work in our enemies’ lives, to restrain evil, to deepen consciousness of harm, to destroy their arrogance so that life and grace may flourish. We are equally to pray for wisdom and all that blocks the development of wisdom in our life.” Dan Allender, Bold Love
A Fascinating Exercise: Read through Proverbs and write down every reference to how to use our tongue. (You will notice they don’t all agree:). Then pray about what wisdom looks like in a difficult situation.
by Elizabeth | Mar 16, 2011 | Learning Story
"Sing -- or RING -- psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs!"
For the last week, I’ve been posting on the tongue-taming passages in James 3. Now seems like a good time to mention that the wise use of the tongue does not mean the refusal to use good words at all. James is pressing us on wisdom, and most of us need reminding that our default nature is to use our tongues unwisely.
The Bible is clear, however, that silence is not always wise. Today’s challenge: read the following verses and make a list of all the ways we are called to use our mouths. Then pray about what types of wise words God might call you to speak today.
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:29-32
15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Ephesians 5:15-21
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:16-17
Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity. I Timothy 5:1-2
“So watch yourselves. “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.” Luke 17:3.
by Elizabeth | Mar 14, 2011 | Learning Story
A friend brought joy to me with this "words" card.
A Prayer About Therapeutic Words
“Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” Proverbs 12:18
Dear Lord Jesus, I love words. I especially love the way you use words to bring me healing… wisdom… joy… encouragement… freedom… and hope. You will never shame me with words. You will never manipulate me with words. You will never hurt me with words. You alone have the words of life…
My prayer is so simple today, yet so necessary. Grant me greater stewardship of my words. Jesus, as you speak to me, please speak through me. It’s humbling to realize that you, who created the world with words, are pleased to bring healing to others through my mouth. It’s equally scary to realize I’m am capable of bringing a lot of decay and destruction by the same mouth.
Every day, in every conversation, I prove the reality of the proverb which teaches that words have the power of life and death (Prov. 18:21) I also remember you teaching me that my words are simply a reflection of what is filling my heart. Indeed, “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45)
SO, rather than just ratcheting up some will power to have done with all drivel, reckless words, gossip, flattery, inanity, irritation, coarse jesting, excuse-making, confidence-breaking, too many words, and many more expressions of death-speak… Jesus, fill my heart with your beauty and bounty.
So fill my heart with the truth, goodness and riches of the gospel that… more often than not… the first and greater percentage of syllables out of my mouth will bring healing, not harm. May my mouth overflow with words season with grace because my heart has been more fully filled with your grace. So very Amen, I pray, in your name and for your glory.
by Elizabeth | Mar 11, 2011 | Learning Story
This is NOT a suggested way to tame the tongue!
“but no human being can tame the tongue.” James 3:8a. (For the full effect of this blog, please read all of James 3 — it will take you less time than you might spend surfing Facebook:)
A few years ago, my husband and I participated in the excellent Gospel Transformation course by World Harvest Mission. One of the first things we were asked to do was “the tongue exercise.” In this exercise, you tried to go a whole day without “cursing” – that is, without complaining, denigrating, defaming, gossiping or any other sin of the tongue. Within about fifteen minutes I had discovered what a long day it was going to be.
The point of the exercise was to show us how impossible it is to “be good” through human striving. Trying to tame our tongue revealed how desperately we need the power of the gospel of Jesus working in us.
There was just one problem with that for me. I somehow got a message that went like this, “Don’t worry about your tongue. You’re going to screw up all the time. Just ask forgiveness.” I’m pretty sure that was not the point, nor is it the point regarding any of our sin. I am the one who needs “Tongue-Taming for Dummies.”
Let’s return to the short section in James 3:8-12.
Regarding the use of the tongue to curse, James says, “My brethren, he appeals, this ought not to be so” (3:9). John Stott says the word used here appears nowhere else in the New Testament – it means, “intrinsically not right,’ or ‘no way right.’ John Stott goes on to say,
“James makes us face something we can and must do. As he examined the tongue, its place among our bodily faculties, the dangers it threatens, the fearful task of controlling such a restive beast, we may well have found it all too much, far beyond the capacity of our present state of sanctification. But we can make a start here [my emphasis]. Here is something precise, limited, manageable. This is not beyond us; this is something we can tackle. It concerns the way we speak to somebody else about a brother or sister, the way we speak to a brother or sister.” John Stott, Commentary on James
Let us not forget – taming the tongue will not respond to human effort alone. But, as Stott says, “…a different fire from that which ascends from Gehenna descended from heaven to kindle new powers and give new speech to the human tongue.” (Acts 2:2-4). It is this power, the power of resurrection life, that is at work within us.
Want to take the challenge? Try looking for the image of God in your fellow human being today. Note what difference it makes in how you think of them and what you say about them. And yes, we will still blow it. But when we do, let us run, not walk, to the embrace of our forgiving Savior and then be sent out to bless again.
If you’re interested in hearing a great Bible study that has informed a lot of my thinking on this topic, check out Scotty Smith’s study for the women at CCC.
by Elizabeth | Mar 10, 2011 | Learning Story
"A restless evil, full of deadly poison"
Ayyyyhhhh, James hurts. Yes, I mean the book of James. Put it together with John Stott and you have some inescapable challenges to take this whole issue of the tongue (pun intended) seriously.
Listen to this, but read all of Chapter 3 for full effect:
“…but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people 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.” James 3:8-10
When I read that verse, I usually focus on the “restless evil, full of deadly poison.” But on this reading, the Holy Spirit (and John Stott) led me to focus on the illogic of praising God while cursing people made in the image of God!!! Ayyyhhhh…Guilty as charged. Here is what Stott says…
“We look around at our brothers and sisters, whether in the human family or in the family of God, and think nothing of defaming, denigrating, criticizing, making the sly innuendo, yet they bear the image of God [my emphasis]. We think of Jesus and count it a shame if his glory is despised or his name used dishonorably; we write to the papers to complain of blasphemy on the radio or television. But the same glorious image of God in other people we hardly think of and rarely hesitate to speak ill of.” John Stott, Commentary on James
James says, “THIS OUGHT NOT TO BE SO.” I know we’ve about reached the limit of what you have time to read and digest today, but this topic bears further discussion, so to be continued tomorrow.
Here’s my personal prayer on tongue-taming. Perhaps you will share this thought:
Holy God, Lord Jesus, Empowering Spirit, you know my tongue is wild and uncontrollable, guilty of casually defaming and denigrating your image. I’d really prefer to tape my tongue with duct tape to prevent the heinous harm it does. But you don’t seem to work that way. You created my words to bless, and you want to transform me more and more into the likeness of Jesus, so you don’t make an easy way out. Give me a heartbeat for you that guides my tongue to bless rather than curse. When I speak harmful words, make me quickly aware, and draw my heart to repentance and wag my tongue to confess that you alone are the Lord who redeems me. In you alone do I hope for the cure for my tongue-disease. Thank you for caring so deeply about me that you draw me to wrestle in this area of my life. In your powerful name, I pray. So Very Amen.
by Elizabeth | Mar 8, 2011 | Learning Story
Following up on yesterday’s blog, Catching Your Calling, listen to what Os Guiness says about Calling:
“Calling is the truth that God calls us to Himself so decisively that everything we are, everything we do, and everything we have is invested with a special devotion, [enthusiasm], and direction lived out as a response to his summons and service…the notion of calling is vital to each of us because it touches on the modern search for personal identity and an understanding of [two crucial questions: who am I? Why am I alive?] Calling is not a symptom for a comfortable life, but it acts as a compass when we are lost.” Os Guiness, The Call: Finding and Fulfilling the Central Purpose of Your Life
