GET TOGETHER- Grace For the Tongue
Jas 4:11 ¶ Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. (NKJV)
Thank God for the Grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who has saved those who come to Him by faith in His precious Holy Blood. For the last two years, I have done some type spiritual discipline concerning the tongue. One was a forty-day tongue fast devotional, and another was a devotional entitled Thirty Days To Tame the Tongue.
I haven’t done one this year and I have noticed that sometimes we can take some liberties with our tongue that aren’t scriptural just because we believe that we have been saved by grace and that God will understand it. Sometimes we use prayer requests as an excuse for gossip. Sometimes we may feel like some people are so far away from God that we have been given the right to speak slanderous, or insulting words about them in some way. We may even sometimes say things about others that would hinder us from developing a relationship with them that could lead them to Christ.
I am thankful for Christians that were polite, loving and didn’t speak evil of me when I was at a time in my life where they would have had a lot of ammunition. Even when we must stand up for what we believe we are to speak in love and not speak as the world that would disagree with us would speak.
The Greek term James uses for evil is katalaleo, kat-al-al-eh’-o. It means slander. It also means to speak against. I know that James is primarily talking about not speaking evil against a brother or sister in Christ. But in 1Pe 2:1 ¶ “Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking” (NKJV). We are told to lay aside all evil speaking. The Greek term here for evil speaking is katalalia, kat-al-al-ee’-ah. It means not only to slander, but also to insult. And he is saying to put all evil speaking away.
So, as Christians yes we are to speak the truth in love. But also, we are to be different. We are to put away gossip, slander, and insults. Paul wrote to the church at Colossae: Col 4:6 “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one”. (NKJV) He also had this to say in Eph 4:29 “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.” Grace to speak the truth in love. If you will pray for me that I will grow in this way. I will do the same for you. The Holy Spirit has shown me that He wants to help with this. If He shows us that He wants to help He will if we will let Him.
Let Us Pray
Lord Jesus today make our tongues different than the tongues of the world. Remove the poison of bitterness, wrath, evil speaking, accuser of the brethren, faultfinding, gossip, slander, insults, and haughtiness. Replace it with streams of living water that flow out of our belly. Replace words of death with words of life. Replace cursing with blessing. Fill us so much with the Holy Spirit that all of it has to come out and only You can come in!
In Jesus Name
Amen
Love you all! I believe God is going to do a good work in all of us.
In Jesus Name
Amen
