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Oh, Hey, everybody. It's Friday, and welcome back to the weekday podcast. I'm so glad you're here for the last stop on our little walk through James this week. Think back with me to the last time you said something, and the second it left your mouth, you wished you could reach and grab it back.
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I know that feeling. I bet you know that feeling. Your face gets warm, you see it land on the other person, and you think, why in the world did I say that?
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I mean, I've just done it too many times.
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And if you've been there, welcome to the club.
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It's a big club, and James has something to say to every one of us in it. James, chapter three is all about the power of our words, and he uses some of the most vivid pictures in the entire Bible to make his point. Listen to verse 3, 4, and 5.
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We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in his mouth. And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches, but a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. A bit, a rudder, a spark. All tiny things, right?
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All with enormous power. I think that's the point. James wants us to see your words feel small. They come out so easy. A passing comment, a quick text, a sarcastic little remark in the kitchen.
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But they steer things. They set direction in a marriage and a friendship and the heart of a child. And sometimes, when I'm not careful with them, they start fires.
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We've all seen a spark turn into a blaze. One careless moment in a meeting, and suddenly there's tension in the office for weeks.
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One unkind post online and a reputation takes a hit. One harsh word to a teenager, it echoes in their head forever, y'. All. James gets really honest about how mixed up we can be in verses nine and 10, he writes. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God.
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And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right.
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Can I tell you where that one gets to me, on Sunday morning, you can be singing your heart out in worship and 20 minutes later be grumbling about the driver who cut you off in the parking lot. Same mouth, same morning, same heart.
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James isn't saying this to shame us, though. He's naming something that's true about all of us. In fact, back in verse two, he admits, indeed, we all make many mistakes. He includes himself. Nobody here has this mastered. So what do we do?
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If no one can tame the tongue, as James says in verse 8, is there any hope for us?
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Yes, indeedy. And here's where James turns a corner. He tells us that our words are really an overflow of something deeper, the kind of wisdom that we're living from. Listen to verse 17. But the wisdom from above is first of all pure.
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It is also peace, loving, gentle at all times and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy.
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And listen to this, y'. All. And the fruit of good deeds, it shows no favoritism and is always sincere.
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Okay, let's just take that list real quick. Peace, loving, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy, sincere.
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You can't just grit your teeth and force your mouth to say nicer stuff.
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But you can ask God to change the spring the words flow from.
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James asked, does a spring of water bubble out from both fresh water and bitter water? The answer is no. So the way to change what comes out is to let God change what's inside.
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Hmm.
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So let me give you something practical for this Friday.
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Before you speak in a tense moment or before you hit send on that text, try asking yourself three quick questions. Is it true? Is it kind? Is it helpful? And if it doesn't pass all three, maybe it can wait. Now, I'm saying this like I do this well, y', all, but literally, I should be speaking in front of a mirror, not a microphone.
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I struggle with this, and I think most of us do.
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So this week, it's probably a good idea to Remember in verse 18 how James closes this chapter. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.
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So this week, we've walked through two or three chapters of James. We've learned to let our faith grow in the storm. We've learned to let our faith roll up its sleeves. And we've learned about words and seeds of peace. We learned about praying over others. And we learned what it was like to talk about and understand what it is to be anointed with oil.
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All these things seem like a really good way to live, don't they?
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I'd say let's go do that.
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I'm Chuck Allen with the weekday podcast, and thanks for spending these mornings with me. Go plant some good seeds today, and I'll talk with you next time. Thanks. Bye now.