What does the Book of James say about our WORDS?

I am so happy that you're here for a devotional on the Book of James! I am going to try something new and do my first "series." We will cover James over two weeks. This first week, we are going to look at what James says about our WORDS, and next week our ACTIONS. 

Check out my devotional video below! If you want to read through the devotional on James, scroll past the video for the devotional. 

We'll start with a little bit of background information. First, let's understand the context. The book of James is not a letter to a specific group like some other New Testament books; it was meant for a broad audience. The author of the book is believed to be James, the brother of Jesus, although some scholars believe that Paul could've written it, I personally believe James wrote it. But even pushing that disagreement to the side, what I know for a fact is that James is a really good book. I feel called out when I read James, and it feels encouraging to be pushed to be the best follower of Christ that I can be.

The book of James is pretty short and sweet, but it is packed with good stuff. So between this week and next week, we are going to kind of look at two themes in the book of James, and that is our words and our actions. 

We learn from the book of James that the words that we use are important. They are important in the way we speak to ourselves and to others. Our words are essentially just sounds that come out of our mouth, but have the opportunity to speak life and love into other people… or on the contrary, they also have the chance to speak hate and fear into people. It is so crazy to think that God has given us such a powerful tool, and it is even crazier to think about how often we misuse it. 

James tells us that the way that we use our words should be done thoughtfully. James 1 says, "Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak." I will be the first to admit that as much as I love encouraging people and showing love to people, some very nasty things come out of my mouth far too often. It is typically when I speak without actually thinking through what I am saying, or what I want to say. When I am angry or hurt, my first defense is to hurt back through my words. 

James 3:5 says, "The tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark." Even in those moments when I say things that I didn't mean to say, I still put words out there that are not loving, or kind, or caring, and I gave them way more power than they ever deserved. And James says that our words, although they may seem small, can act as a spark and lead to a much bigger fire. 

Understanding this concept of our words having the power of fire, it can also go the other way. Fires can sometimes be a good thing. For example, have you ever heard someone say, "My heart is on fire for the Lord"? Our words can also speak life into people. In a time when we are recommended to stay inside, we are missing physical human face-to-face interaction; our words are all that we have. I don't know if hugs will ever be able to be given freely again, or how soon, so now it is more important than ever before that we are using our words from a place of love and kindness. 

James 3:9 says, "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." If you are like me, and you recognize some that things have come out of your mouth, James is speaking to you. This is not a twenty-first-century problem. People have been using their words as weapons for thousands of years. Even in the Garden, the Serpent used his words to deceive Eve.  

So even though we find ourselves in this position, I have three things that will hopefully offer you comfort:

1. You're not alone. 

2. God wants you to bring your sins and wounds that you have inflicted on others through words, or that others have inflicted on you, to Him.

3. James tells us where our words should come from moving forward.

Starting at 3:13, James is talking about wisdom and how our actions should come from a place of wisdom. So what does this look like? 3:17 it says that "Wisdom comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere."

If we approached our conversations and went through this checklist before we spoke, especially in times of anger and hurt, I know for a fact that my words would be different. If I made sure that my words were pure, in a way that they reflected my heart for Jesus, and that they came from a place of peace and love, they were considerate, and I thought through the consequences to them, and that they were full of mercy and bore good fruit. 

The words we use and the way we use them have become habits. It takes time, patience, and strength to break habits. So I want to encourage you and challenge you to think through the words that you use, and think, "Are my words a spark of a fire that brings life to people? Or are my words a spark of a fire that destroys?" Start putting your words through this little checklist and watch your relationships grow from there. 

That is all I have for today! Don't forget to check back next week to talk about what James says about our actions. 

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God Bless.