Be Impeccable with Your Word

James 3:9-10—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.

Words are powerful.  Just think back to how God created the world – He spoke.  And before anything even existed, there was the Word.  God created us in His own image, and He uniquely gave us the gift of words as a method of communication.  So often, though, we abuse this gift and do not use it as God would have us use it.  We often speak out of anger and frustration. Our selfish motivations cause us to say words that hurt other people.  As Christians, we are called to become increasingly aware of our tongue so that we become impeccable in our words.  What I mean by “impeccable” is “without sin” so that we are not hurting others or ourselves in a way that creates distance from God.  Every human being, even those we may not like so much, is created in God’s image, and we must never forget that the power of our words should not be used to harm any creature, especially one created in God’s image. To be sure, controlling our tongues isn’t about becoming a Pollyanna who doesn’t ever deal with the negative things that do happen in our world.  Rather, it is about choosing what we say and how we say it so that we build each other up in Christ’s love.  Sometimes we must simply practice saying, “I have no words.”

Today as you pray and meditate on His Word, thank God for creating us in His image and empowering us with the gift of words.  Offer yourself as His faithful servant and pray that He would guide you in learning how to control your tongue.  Ask Him to help you practice saying, “I have no words,” during those times when the tongue should simply be silent.  Pray also that He would fill you with the words He would have you say so that you can lift up your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ’s love.