Friday, September 02, 2011

Digging Deeper

James 4:11-12
Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

Points to Ponder
Do not speak evil against one another... We could stop right there. I think there are two basic ways we can do this. 1) we can speak evil against another to their face or 2) we can speak evil against another behind their backs. It seems the root of either is pride. When we speak evil against another the unspoken premise is "I know best." We become critical and judgmental and essentially sin against a brother or sister in Christ.

My boss shared an illustration with me one day which I think portrays the poison of evil speaking or gossip.

Take a feather pillow and make a slit in it. Then squeeze it and swing it around your head. What happens? Feathers start to fly EVERYWHERE. Add to the mix a leaf blower and the feathers spread far and wide. If someone were to try to pick all those feathers up they would never get every single one. Evil speaking and gossip work much the same way. They spread like feathers in the wind.

Now consider this. What if the evil speaking and gossip was about you? Would you want your brothers and sisters in Christ to squelch it or pass it along?

I think in general we need to be much more mindful of what comes out of our mouths. Psalm 17:3 I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.

Have you been as convicted as I have about your tongue? Let us think before we speak.

Blessings,
Diane

Diane Hunt is the Director of Addiction Recovery and Development at America's KESWICK. In addition to her Keswick responsibilities which keep her busy, she loves to read, write and teach, travel and laugh with her grandchildren. Diane has been married to her husband John over 26 years. She has 2 children, 3 grandchildren, 3 step-children, and 7 step-grandchildren.

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