“And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.” – James 3:6

Your words matter enormously! Jesus expects and commands His followers to live lives of genuine integrity, meaning wholeness and consistency. As Christians, we’re to be the same inside and out. Our appearances should match our attitudes, thoughts, and feelings. We’re to be the same in church, in school, at work, and at home. We’re to live lives of holiness and speak words of holiness at all times.

James in particular focuses in on the everyday inconsistencies of our lives that reveal profound sinfulness. He does so to help us eradicate that sin. Our inner sickness and sinfulness is often revealed by our words. If we’re followers of the Prince of Peace, our words (ALL of them) should be words of peace. If we’re followers of the Way, the Truth, and the Life, our words should be completely true and should be speaking life to everyone we encounter, not death. Even when we confront sin, we must do so with words of peace, truth, and life rather than uncontrolled anger, bitter poison, and raging fire.

Many Christians today seem to be fine with praising God with their mouths on Sunday morning and tearing down people with whom we disagree the rest of the week. That’s sinful! As James continues in chapter 3, they too are created in God’s image. There is no Christian integrity in praising God while verbally destroying His workmanship.

Carefully consider EVERY word you say, type, tweet, or share. Are these words that reflect Jesus, or words that stain you and burn down your life and others? Sinning in what you say is still sinning. Control your tongue!

“And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd.” – Ezekiel 34:23

God was disgusted with the corruption, abuse, cruelty, and injustice of the leaders of Israel. Though called to be shepherds, they instead abused and took advantage of their sheep. Scripture says that God ordains government for good purposes, yet at that time, the leaders cared only for themselves, their wealth, their power, and their benefit. So God made this promise. One day, He would send a new shepherd, one who would rule justly and care for the weak, sick, injured, vulnerable, lost, and confused.

Though King David had already been dead for nearly four centuries, God promised a shepherd like him, descended from him, and concerned with truly leading as God desired. This prophecy would be fulfilled centuries later when Jesus, the Good Shepherd, the Son of God, and God in the flesh was born, lived, died on the cross, rose from the dead, and ascended to Heaven where He rules and reigns over the universe today.

Jesus is our Good Shepherd like David. He has indeed been given all authority in heaven and on earth. He feeds and cares for the people of God. He redeems us from our sins, strengthens us for our days, sustains us through our trials, transforms us across the years of our lives, and welcomes us into God’s presence when we die. The world remains full of corrupt, selfish, and foolish shepherds. Don’t look to them for salvation or hope. Look to the Good Shepherd! Yield your life to Him and let Jesus lead you, feed you, sustain you, and love you.

“Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” – James 1:13-15

Never claim, “The devil made me do it” and never blame God for the sin in which you find yourself! The devil can’t make anyone do anything – he simply offers temptation. While God certainly permits trials in our lives, He doesn’t tempt us to sin. Honestly, we can’t even blame our friends, neighbors, coworkers, relatives, enemies, circumstances, or complete strangers for our sin. Sinning is completely our responsibility!

Note well the ”life cycle of sin” (or perhaps ”death cycle”)… We desire to sin. Even if we hate it, there’s something about it that appeals to us. Our desire lures and entices us. If we’re foolish, we flirt with it, dance with it, dwell on it, rationalize it, and justify it. If we aren’t quick to resist and willing to flee sinful desire, we permit the desire to grow and grow. We tell stories to ourselves about how it isn’t a big deal and how it doesn’t really hurt anyone. We question, like Satan in the Garden, whether God really said not to. We question God’s motives in saying not to.

Eventually, if we permit our mind to loiter on the desire, it conceives and gives birth to sin. We do whatever we desired. Perhaps it feels good for a moment. Perhaps we’re immediately ashamed or perhaps we aren’t. Nevertheless, sin doesn’t stop with sin. Sin’s ultimate purpose is death because sin inevitably leads to spiritual death. However, there’s hope! That hope is our Savior, Jesus Christ Who conquered sin and death on the cross. Jesus not only commands and empowers us to reject those sinful desires when they begin calling, He advocates for us if we fail and succumb to the temptation.

If you fall into sin, don’t stay there! Confess – agree with God that it was truly a vile and rebellious sin worthy of death and ask His forgiveness in Christ’s name. Repent – change your mind and commit to fight that temptation in the future. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.'” – Hebrews 13:5

In a world of tremendous insecurity and uncertainty, Christians have something that is completely, 100% certain and secure! It isn’t our bank balance, home equity, or jewelry collection. It’s our God! God is present with us and He’ll never abandon or reject us.

More precious that cash, stocks, bonds, gold, or jewels is the never-ending, never-failing love and presence of God for all who’ve accepted Jesus Christ as Lord. Most Christians will go through hard times in their life, some much harder than others. Deprivation and loss may affect our finances, mental or physical health, safety, stability, relationships and many other things in this fallen world. After all, there is an active evil force at work in this world named Satan and there are many who succumb to his temptations. Nonetheless, our external circumstances and our common enemy the Devil can’t change God or His love and zeal for us in Jesus Christ.

If you’re in Christ, you may feel alone, but you aren’t. God IS with you. You may feel abandoned by God, but you aren’t. God IS with you. You may feel rejected by God, but you aren’t. God IS with you. The cross of Jesus Christ proves this beyond a shadow of a doubt. God gave His Son for you and He isn’t about to leave you now!

“Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;” – Hebrews 12:14-15

Bitterness is a poison we choose to drink for ourselves (over and over and over). Bitterness spreads until it poisons our hearts, minds, souls, and relationships. While it often begins with a genuine wrong done to us, bitterness arises when we take that wrong and respond to it wrongly for an extended period of time. When we dwell too long on our hurt, loss, anger, and sorrow. What begins with so-called righteous indignation gradually hardens into toxic bitterness that can devastate our lives more than the original harm ever could.

We can’t control other people or how they act. Some will act sinfully, cruelly, selfishly, thoughtlessly, or evilly. However, we can control, and are ultimately responsible for, how we respond to others. Scripture is clear: because God didn’t dwell on our sinfulness, evil, and rebellion but instead gave His Son as a sacrifice to offer us forgiveness, peace, and reconciliation we’re called to do the same with the broken relationships in our lives.

We must apply the Gospel to our interpersonal relationships. We must strive for peace with everyone just as God strove for peace with us – at the cost of His Son. By the power of God’s Spirit, we must pursue the personal holiness that’s impossible when our minds are focused on our grievances, wounds, scars, and bitterness. We must display God’s grace toward others who don’t deserve it, just as we don’t. We must release our anger, frustration, hurt, and disappointment to the Lord before it hardens into a root of bitterness that ultimately poisons us. Christian, don’t drink that poison!!!