Listen first, and when you decide to speak, heed this advice
By Dean Collins
James is pretty clear that listening is critical to developing wisdom. He is also very clear that when you think you are ready to share that wisdom, you should realize that God takes what we say or type very seriously. So much so I sometimes wonder if I should just send a blank page to my readers. Or maybe one that says, “Read your Bible and pray.”
Warning label
If we are assigned a role of teaching, preaching, mentoring, parenting, or giving instruction to others, then James 3:1-12 is the warning label we should read at the beginning of each day. When we are young, we are stuck with the teachers we are assigned. Fortunately, most of those wonderful men and women taught us out of love and kindness and the desire to make the world a better place. They poured love into us as they revealed treasures of knowledge that opened our imaginations to new things and sparked dreams of what we could become.
However, according to James, the teacher must consider the possibility of harm with misspoken words or behavior unaligned with God’s character. James uses several metaphors to give us a clear picture of the potential for good or disaster if we are not thoughtful in what we say.
Just last week I wrote from the wisdom of Solomon that we should never gloat or celebrate when an enemy stumbles. Today James tells us that we all stumble in many ways. What we say can trip us up and lead others down the wrong path. James is very clear that we would be perfect if we were able to control our tongues. And we know the truth well that only one has ever lived the perfect life. If what we say has so much power, then daily surrender of our thoughts and words to God is a critical aspect of our discipleship. We can never assume we don’t need the Holy Spirit to guide our thoughts and words, or we might find ourselves looking and acting like untamed horses, rudderless ships, or a raging forest fire.
Praise and blessing
James tells his readers to use their mouths for offering praise to God and extending blessings to those around them. But we can’t praise God in one moment and curse our neighbor or coworker in the next. James is not concerned just about how we potentially harm another with our words. He is genuinely concerned about the judgment we bring on ourselves by our failure to speak and live the truth. What we say and how we say it is important kingdom business.
As James wraps up his instruction about our tongue, he uses a farming reference: “Can a fig tree bear olives? Or a grapevine produce figs?” Of course not. The harvest is determined by what seeds we sow in the ground. The good news is that ground can be plowed and prepared and replanted. We have the opportunity today to plant the seeds of godliness in ourselves so that in due time we can share truth, love, and grace with others.
Daily surrender
The apostle Paul gives us a picture of what to plant in our minds: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8 ESV). With daily surrender can shape our words and character in ways that will lead us to plant good seed in the mind and hearts of others.
To follow the teaching of James, we start by listening before we speak. We sew the Word of God in our hearts and surrender our words to him before we utter a thought to another. The Lord of the harvest can then use us to share kingdom truth and kindness to those near and far.
Your time with God’s Word
James 3:1-12 ESV
Photo by Nick Fewings at Unsplash
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