James 3:9-12

(this is oooold)

READ JAMES 3:9-12


With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should no be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

As a way of celebrating the beginning of summer and no more exams or due dates, me and seven of my friends crammed our luggage and camping equipment into two sub-compact cars and drove south for a week of camping on the beaches of Florida. After 23 hours of being stuck in the backseat of a Honda Civic surrounded by a variety of camping equipment and random pieces of luggage, I wanted nothing more than to touch the ocean. After a two hour accidental detour and a near death experience with a ditch in Alabama, we arrived at our campsite well after dark. The first thing we did was flock to the beach.

The moon was the biggest I had ever seen it and seemed to light the entire beach which stretched for miles on either side. The waves spoke gently to the sky and the water seemed to reflect even the starlight that reached down. Everything about the beach that night praised God in its own way. I cannot remember a time when the ocean looked so beautiful. It was a moment so perfect that not even a picture from the best camera could have captured it.

The water appeared warm and inviting and we walked along the shore and let the ocean flow back and forth over our feet. I dipped low and slipped my hands beneath the surface just as a wave came crashing toward me. Not only did the water manage to soak my clothes, but it also found its way into my mouth. Having never swam in the ocean before; I was shocked by just how salty the ocean water was. Immediately something that I saw as being so beautiful was ruined by the saltiness of the water. The visions I saved in my mind of how handsome the ocean appeared were erased the second the salty water touched my tongue. It seemed so backwards that this gorgeous ocean was capable of tasting so badly. It completely changed everything I thought the ocean was.

After reading these verses, this exact memory came flooding back, much like the ocean water that soaked my clothes. Like James uses examples of nature to illustrate his point, the ocean water reminded me of how backwards we act sometimes. The words we speak have the strength to completely change the way outsiders might see us. How often is it that we go from praising the Creator of the universe to vocalizing ugly thoughts we have about our sibling, parent, spouse, or the guy who had 13 items in the 12 items only lane at the store? It’s completely backwards. Not only do the words we speak have the capabilities to hurt others, but they also pull us away from God. We cannot be freshwater springs if all that is flowing from us is salt water. We cannot praise God using dangerous words.

The first portion of these verses state that the tongue is capable of two things, praising God and cursing men. With the tongue we are all guilty of jumping from one end of the spectrum to the other. We are all guilty of praising our God one second and cursing someone who was made in God’s likeness the next. It seems ridiculous that we commend God for his creations, but then turn around only to put down something else that he has made.

If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. 1 Peter 4:11

We cannot be true witnesses of Christ if we are constantly vocalizing ugly thoughts and spewing salty water. As my mom (whom I have come to realize does actually know a thing or two) always says, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”