Stress Test Devotional April 27
April 27, 2024
JAMES 1:26-27 |26 If any think they are religious and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
JAMES 3:2-6a | 2 For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is mature, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole bodies. 4 Or look at ships: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, yet they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits. How great a forest is set ablaze by a such a small fire! 6a And the tongue is a fire.
Words help us grasp the world, explore reality, pass on knowledge, express emotions, pray, and sing. Yet nothing shows the world’s folly more than words! Words used to abuse and belittle. Words employed to confuse and manipulate. Words that entrap and deceive, betray and distort, put down and vilify.
Yet, as James says in chapter three, the tongue, so small and powerful, is so difficult to control. We learn to control our speech by resisting destructive uses of our tongues and by silently following through on the simple directions of the gospel, especially the concrete commands to love the vulnerable. Right action is a cleanser for the heart and enables right speaking.
How do you care for the vulnerable?
How good are you at speech control?
