James 3:5-6: The Tongue Is A Fire

"How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness" (James 3:5-6).

The enemy within my soul has the power and desire to not only destroy me, but to ruin others as well. The decay of relationships, destruction of peace and absolution of unity are the attainable goals of an unbridled tongue. There is nothing that inflicts more damage on the church than Christians who do not have the necessary self-control to be disciplined in their speech. At times the church can resemble a middle school playground, where children whisper malicious rumors and half-truth lies, destroying reputations by taking vengeance over pitifully insignificant offenses. Our Americanized church culture has adapted the notion of "free speech" to mean "I can say whatever feels right without guarding against sinful heart motives." As a result, school yard slanderers morph without maturity into back-pew whisperers and busybodies whose childish behavior continues quite embarrassingly into adulthood because it wasn't sufficiently reprimanded. Our enemy's preferred way of stopping the gospel is to convince adults it's perfectly acceptable to act like children; to complain when things don't go their way, tattle when wronged and manipulate the emotions of others when felt needs are not instantly met. When you see the fire of an unbridled tongue, or hear words spoken without restraint, don't waste time and allow it to be kindled by idleness. Put the fire out! For the preservation of the church, put the fire out. Christians who speak like this do not benefit from a hearing, they are served by a muzzle. Actually, someone who speaks with an unbridled tongue needs the rod to drive out that foolishness, but due to limitations in the age-appropriateness of certain forms of discipline, simply keeping quiet will have to do, and for some of us will feel just as painful. At least then we could benefit as Proverbs 17:28 is realized, which says, "Even a fool is thought to be wise if he keeps silent."

Psalm 103:8 - Slow to anger

“The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” Psalms 103:8.

God’s people frequently test and always prove God’s patience. We suffer from the disease of chronic lethargy in spiritual matters. Our growth in godliness crawls along at such a sluggish rate that calling it a snails pace could be considered an insult to snails. But God is merciful to us. He doesn’t respond to our slowness in anger, but by being quick to impart grace. God’s anger is the only thing in the universe slower than my heart’s change. His faithful and steadfast love preserves me even when I hypocritically insist on instant change from other people not required of myself. God is content to do long-term work on my heart, launching character renovation and overhaul projects scheduled to take decades to complete. His patience cannot be outlasted by my stubbornness. As amazing as God’s patience is, what makes it truly remarkable is that he did not respond to his own perfect Son the same way. God's patient slowness to anger that I take for granted every day was conspicuously absent at Calvary. The anger poured out on Christ while he was on the cross was anything but slow; it was fast, furious and relentless, unceasing until every sin placed upon Christ had been fully atoned for. Jesus Christ was the only person to not sin, and yet he was punished for sin so that God’s anger toward sinners is slow, and his love for them is steadfast.

John 2:25 - Christ Knows what is in man

“For he himself knew what was in man” (John 2:25)

The inquisition against my soul is conducted by an omniscient prosecutor. Jesus Christ knows the heart of man more intimately than man knows his private, unspoken thoughts. The heart is cunning and has many effective strategies that easily fool us by cloaking its activity from our frail perceptions. But Christ does not suffer from our blindness. He is not so easily fooled as we are by the deceitfulness of sin. Christ calls Satan’s bluff and sees the truth behind sin’s lies every time. Trusting in Christ requires that we distrust ourselves. Those who are not suspicious of their own hearts must be suspicious of Christ. No one who is confident that he knows himself can fully embrace a gospel message that offers deliverance from self-deception by an all-knowing Savior. Being fully dependent on Jesus Christ requires that we seek deliverance from the ongoing deception of remaining sin. Christ frequently told his opponents what they were thinking before they shared their thoughts aloud. The path to Christian maturity will inevitably lead to a secure trust in Christ which nurtures healthy self-suspicion. But we are not left merely suspicious. Christ knew what was in man and died on account of that depravity. Since he was raised, we have been given the Holy Spirit who searches the depths of our soul. Christ is the great navigator of the human heart who guides us by his Spirit through his gift of repentance to discover paths of righteousness amidst the maze of our own corruption.

Jeremiah 2:11 - Exchanging God's Glory

“But my people have exchanged their glory for that which does not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate” (Jeremiah 2:11).

The soul’s great sin is its disregard for the glory of God. The Israelites bore the unique mark of the chosen people of God. He had mercifully given them his law, temple, manifest presence, the cloud of his glory and his promises to bless them and make them a blessing to all nations. There was glory in Israel greater than any other place on earth. One would think that the value of this glory would be recognized, treasured and protected with fervent jealousy by those privileged enough to possess it. Shockingly, it was not. Instead of being treasured, the glory of God was traded. Israel quickly and willingly gave up the covenant blessings of the living God in exchange for lifeless, worthless idols. They surrendered their status as God’s chosen ones and preferred to take their place among the condemned nations of the world. Any divine shock at this colossal misappropriation of value and disregard of God’s glory must also be directed at my heart and that of every Christian. For we who cherish and pursue worldly things above Jesus Christ and the law of God commit a sin that exceeds the sinfulness of Israel’s sin. For we have something far more valuable than that which Israel possessed. They only possessed a shadow of the real glory. We have the actual glory, the fulfillment of the law, temple, presence and glory of God in the very person of Jesus Christ who dwells within our own hearts, not just a temple built by human hands. Therefore, when the regenerate soul of a New Testament Christian exchanges the glory of the indwelling Christ for worldly things that don’t profit, how much more shocked and appalled should the heavens be at such disdain of the soul towards its own Savior and God, preferring instead to cultivate an appetite for unprofitable amusements.