04 Oct Blessing or Cursing?
I blew it…AGAIN! As we left the church parking lot, I was in a hurry to get to Lowe’s. This elderly couple in front of me had the audacity to drive five miles less than the posted speed limit.
Before I knew it, I had yelled at them to get off the road, as if they could hear me. My husband looked at me like I had sprouted a second head. Usually I can at least keep from saying what I’m thinking out loud but not today. Is that really any better though? God can still hear what I just said about those people even if it was only in my thoughts!!
How is it that fifteen minutes earlier I was singing and worshipping the Lord with this same ugly mouth? This is exactly what James 3 talks about. It says “People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!”
Why do I do this and how do I stop it? The “why” is easy to see but hard to accept. Matthew 12:34 tells me that whatever is in my heart determines what comes out of my mouth. When I act like this and say these things, it’s because there is pride and arrogance lodged in my heart. Pride says that my time and my agenda are more important than the elderly couple in front of me. The “how” part of the question must be answered by God. I cannot stop this on my own power, obviously. I have tried many times. I must turn to God and ask him to help me purify my heart and my thoughts of the sin there. God is faithful to cleanse me but I first have to open myself up to it.
Lord, forgive me, please, when I speak ugly thoughts with my mouth. I know I cannot control my tongue, Lord, but you can purify my heart and my thoughts of the sin found there. Help me to think and speak only the best about those created in your image.