James: Faith in ActionSample

Speaking with Love

"I love you."

"I hate you."

"Thank you for everything."

"I don’t care."

Singing praises to God. Saying mean things. Encouraging a friend. Calling people names. As humans, we do all these things—the good and the bad. And whether we say loving or hurtful words, they both come from the same place: our mouths.

James picks up on this idea in today's passage. The tongue is such a small part of our body, yet it can cause so much damage when we use it to say hurtful things. Just like a big boat can be steered with a tiny wheel or rudder, the way our lives go are often controlled by the things that come out of our mouths.

If we have faith in God and use our mouths to praise Him, then it's wrong for us to use that same mouth to disobey Him in the way we speak. We should use the mouths that God gave us to encourage each other, to say loving things, and to tell other people about Jesus and His love for us. Our mouth can be used for evil, but let's make sure we use it for good.

Questions:

1. Even when we try our best, there will still be times we say sinful things. What does God want us to do when that happens?
2. How have you used your mouth to praise or speak with God this week? Come up with a few ways you could do that more often.
3. Has someone else said something hurtful to you this week? How should you respond to them? Take a look at Matthew 5:44 for a hint.

Prayer:

Loving Father, please help me to show my love for You in the way that I speak. I'm sorry for when I've said hurtful things; please forgive me. Help me to use my mouth to obey You and be kind to others around me instead. Amen.