BIAY - Watch Your Mouth! (and Heart)
James 3-5, Psalm 51
Welcome to the Bible in a Year for 2025. Intro to this series and resource links available here, plus here’s how I’m approaching this year.
Scriptures for Today:
Reflection:
Again, James is a straight-shooter and seems to hold nothing back. I can only imagine being in his congregation—and in a day when you couldn’t out a different church down the street if the pastor stepped on your toes!
Watch your mouth (3:1-12) - One of James’ enduring images and rants is about the power of the tongue—what we say and how we say it. The telling part is this: “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.” Again, James is drawing us back to putting faith in action. It is with faith that “we praise our Lord and Father.” But if we are cursing and putting human beings down, that simply doesn’t match. Ouch… but James is right, isn’t he?
Godly wisdom vs earthly wisdom (3:13-18) - “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” Again, we find James telling us that the proof of the pudding is in the eating—If someone thinks they know a lot, let’s see what kind of life they lead, namely “deeds done in humility that comes from wisdom.” The opposite is also true—where we observe “envy and selfish ambition,” we’ll find “disorder and every evil practice.” Worldly thinking is all about getting my way and pressing my advantage without regard for who gets stepped on along the way. By contrast, “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” This reminds me of Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:20, “Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”
Godly submission (4:1-17) - The first half of the chapter paints a picture of human carnal desires getting out of control, something we are all susceptible to in some fashion or another. The solution to this, James says, is humbling ourselves before God. It’s worth noting that the instruction in verse 10— “'Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”—recurs several times in the Bible in one form or another, including the proverb quoted in this passage (Proverbs 3:34). In 1 Peter 5:6, Peter quotes the same proverb, then states, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” In Matthew 23:12, Jesus teaches the disciples that the greatest is to be a servant, noting, “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” This truth from Jesus was clearly turned into an instruction for the early church.
Whatever happens, pray! (5:13-16) - Prayer is powerful. Prayer is mysterious. There’s plenty to say about prayer throughout the Bible. So, whatever else he has to say, I love that James begins by simply telling us to pray whatever the occasion: “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.” We can rejoice in it, wrestle over it, and wonder about it. But the most important thing is that we do it!
Questions:
When have your words gotten away from you?
What are your habits of prayer like?
What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Amen (Psalm 51:10)
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
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