Author: mary

Controlling the tongue is the most important way you can show your faith to the world. James 1:26 says, “If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.” The tongue can bring joy or condemnation.

James is notorious for speaking about the tongue and the consequences of using the tongue to tear others apart. He begins to talk about the tongue in this verse by exposing the hypocrisy of those who say they are religious but cannot control the tongue. I see this everywhere. I have been around many people who claim God and religion when it works for them, but then use their tongue to curse and tear others down. It seems that their tongue ruins any kind of witness they had. James talks more about this in 3:7-10: “People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth.” With our mouths we can bless and curse. We have to be careful and make sure we are blessing and encouraging others.

I know I am not innocent from living this way from time to time. I think we are all guilty of this. However, we must be careful to make sure that we are always seeking to speak with grace and love rather than tearing others down.

James 1:25 says, “But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.” Jesus Christ came, not to do away with the law, but to fulfill the law. The law was meant to bring about an understanding of sin. It exposes who we are as sinners. It shows us that we are in need of a Savior.

So how can we find freedom in the law as this verse says? When we see ourselves in light of the law, we see how desperate we are without Christ. In the Old Testament, a sacrifice was needed for each type of sin. The people had to keep the law and offer sacrifices to bring about restoration. This was a never ending task. When Christ came, He became the sacrifice that would clean man of His sins once for all. He freed man from the law. In that freedom, man could serve God without worrying about sin and the penalty of sin.

As a Christian, you need to understand the depths of your sin, so you understand your need for Jesus. Through that need, you can find freedom to serve God. He has set you free and there are no limits to the freedom God gives.

My husband is a pastor and every Sunday he preaches and feels the life drain out of Him. It is his honor and blessing to serve the Lord, but when he preaches he allows the Spirit to speak through him, and that can often feel weary. When he finishes preaching, he will usually hear, “Good job, Pastor,” or “I liked your sermon today,” or even, “You really stepped on my toes today.” There are even people who think he knew something about them when he preached (he doesn’t preach that way, but the Holy Spirit always knows the hearts of His people). What brings him the most joy is when he sees a life changed. They didn’t just hear the Word, but they put it in action as James 1:22-24 states: “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.”

As Christians, it is not enough to listen to the words the pastor preaches, or podcasts, or Bible teachers. We must put those words into actions. We must take the words of God to heart and hide them in our hearts as Mary did as she pondered everything about the miracles God had done. Then, we must allow those words to change our lives.

As the author of Psalm 119:11 says, “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” When we hide his word in our hearts, it changes us from the inside out so that we no longer want to sin. May we let His word change us today and everyday.

When you were saved (if you have accepted the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ), something beautiful happened at the moment of regeneration. God gave you the Holy Spirit and planted His Word deep in your heart. James 1:21 says, “So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.” With that comes the promise of Heaven. That promise lives inside of you and will someday come to fruition. This Word is the Word that revives your soul when you become weary, continuously speaks truth into your heart, and guides you with the Holy Spirit.

You must do everything you can to protect your soul since it belongs to the Holy Spirit. You need to get rid of all filth and evil in your life as this verse says. Sin and holiness cannot exist together. If you are striving to live in God’s holiness, then you need to get rid of the sin in your life. God has already forgiven you for your past, present, and future sins, but that does not mean you go on sinning! It means that you strive to push forward and live a better, more holy life. You cannot do this on your own. You need to trust the Word that lives and grows inside of you.

God will continuously bless you and lead you when you give your heart to Him and allow His Word to flourish inside of you. Take some time today to thank Him for His salvation, and ask Him to protect your heart from the enemy.

In this world there are very few who are quick to listen. Instead, we interrupt with our own stories or thoughts, lose focus on what is being said, or are quick to become angry and say things we will regret. James 1:19-20 tells us, “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.” How can we be like Jesus and be better communicators?

Maybe someone you know comes to mind when you think of a person who exemplifies this verse. My father-in-law comes to mind when I hear this verse. He does not say much. In fact, I wasn’t sure that he talked at all, but the longer I have known him, the more I have seen this verse play out in his life. He is a man of few words who speaks when he has something to say, and when he does, it is graced with the wisdom from the Bible and years of experience. We should all strive to be like this. If we are quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry, imagine what our relationships will be like! Imagine what our families will be like!

We can be good examples for both the Christian community and the lost when we choose to live in this way. But it is a choice. We must choose the things we say and do very carefully so we can reflect God’s love.