This week’s Devotions are based on the Lectionary Readings for the Sixteenth Sunday of Pentecost. Today’s Devotion is in Keeping with the theme of Unity in the Church as we believers are called to promote the Unity of the Body of Christ. We are called to speak words of encouragment, edification and holiness to all, starting with our Christian brethren. Read James 3:1-12
James is focused on the importance of godliness in the speech of the believer. His primary concern is with the words of those who are in authority in church, who hold the responsibility to teach others. They have a great obligation before God to tame their speech because they can set a bad example for believers to follow causing them to fall into sinful ways. Such unguarded and evil speech, if unchecked, can create chaos in the church and cause damage to cause of the Kingdom of God.
However, the teaching on speech is one which applies to all believers. Our acts of righteousness demonstrate our faith but so do our words and speech. The words that we use to convey our feelings and ideas reveal the attitude of the heart. Speech can be used to malign, abuse, control and corrupt others. That would also include gossip for it demonstrates a lack of caring as well as self-righteous hypocrisy for such speech betrays attitudes that spring forth from a heart that is selfish, ambitious, envious, proud, bitter and corrupt, one that is rooted in the desires of the flesh and the guidance of the devil. Rather we should seek to speak with love, peace and righteousness in imitation of the Lord Jesus.