James 3:9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.
Contradiction, double-mindedness, hypocrisy–these are words that too often describe those who say they are followers of Jesus. James holds no punches as he pinpoints one of the big problems we must deal with. How do we curse people? These days the news is full of this, especially with politics. Some people like to be critical of other people. This is sometimes masked behind the idea of being discerning. We must have some discernment and there is some degree of assessing and judging people and situations. Otherwise, we would not be able to tell what or who is evil and what we should do about the situation. But there are times when we are critical for the wrong reasons. By putting others down, we may think that we look better. There is something satisfying to the sinful self when we knock people down a level and raise ourselves up. Sin as its core tries to get me ahead of others. Love at its core tries to help others get ahead. How does the tongue fit into all this? The tongue is the primary ways we do this. On Sunday we may be praising God with our worship, but on Monday, we are critical of others and put them down directly or indirectly. Even within the church, gossip can be masked behind “news” about people. Again, the answer comes in submission to God in faith and being obedient to the Holy Spirit.
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