We've all heard it at some point or another. “Watch your language!" How often have we heard it in our spiritual lives, though?
James convicts us in James 3:1-12. He first talks about how certain people shouldn't teach. I don't feel worthy of leading or teaching youth, but I know God is using me, even when I feel unworthy. God is using me to equip the next generation to be disciples who make disciples. That's what we should be striving for as a church.
Refer back to James 1:26, where James says that our religion is worthless without taming our tongue. So often we tend to let our mouth speak without thinking. Sometimes we refer to this as having no filter. We often let our frustrations get to us, and when we do that, we often say things we don't mean.
James continues convicting us in the passage James 3:1-12. He refers to the tongue as a wildfire. At this point in the passage, James is speaking not only to teachers but all Christians. So often when we say things we don't mean, those words can hurt. They hurt ourselves, and they hurt the person we say them to.
When we say things we don't mean to others, we also hurt our testimony. We want our lives to reflect Christ, and when we say hurtful things, not only can we not take them back, but they also don't reflect Christ. They hurt our testimony. In those moments, we not only have to ask for the forgiveness of the other person, but we also have to go to God for forgiveness as well.
Again, it should be noted that once we say something, we absolutely cannot take it back. The hurtful things we say can linger and stay in the mind of the person we say them to and affect them emotionally as well. As Christians, we shouldn't be downing others that God created in His image and worshiping Him in the same breath. What this means is, we shouldn't be criticizing or belittling others who God made in His image because it's basically like we are insulting God Himself.
Another big thing our words can do is they can be prideful. We tend to brag about our accomplishments and our stuff, which isn't always a bad thing in itself, but it can lead to other sinning. Paul puts it best when he says in my favorite verse that I cling to, Philippians 3:7, which says, “That which I considered gain, I count as a loss for Christ." What this verse means is, no matter what accolades, achievements, degrees, or anything else we could obtain in this world, nothing could ever compare to the love and mercy we find in Christ.
Lastly, we can't produce good fruit for Christ when we belittle others. This means we can't bring others to Christ when we treat them and speak to them the way the rest of the world does. It's impossible. As mentioned in our last Greater Purpose series article, our words and actions can either lead someone to Christ or turn them away from Him entirely. We should always be seeking to treat others the way Christ did.
Tying the whole series together, we should be consistently and intentionally seeking to share the Gospel with others and live and speak in a way that points others to Christ.
It has been my absolute joy to share commentary and reflection of the first series I've ever written myself with all who read. It is my prayer that you have been encouraged and convicted, just as I have in the process of writing this series. I can't wait to share the next series I will be doing with the youth called Endgame.
