Theme: COMMENTARY ON JAMES CHAPTERS 1 – 2
Text: “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” – James 1:26, 27.
Comment: The Holy Bible does not leave us without adequate guidance and admonition on the dangers of misuse of the tongue. With bad words, people reduce others to little or nothing before others. The Bible says that “An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour” (Psalm 101:5; Proverbs 11:9) Bad words separate the best of friends and stir up anger. (Proverbs 16:28; 15:4) They make one to incur avoidable punishment on himself. The Amalekite who ran to David and lied that he had killed Saul, thinking he would thereby get favour from the future king of Israel suffered the penalty for his lie-telling. Compare 2 Samuel 1:1-10; 1Samuel 31:4,5. One who has come to Christ must strive to control his tongue so that his words will build and not destroy, will edify people and not dampen their spirit. Because “the ear trieth words, as the mouth tasteth meat”, (Job 34:3) people are judged by the way they talk. Apart from cultivating the discipline to enable one’s words to be seasoned with salt, we should be involved in works of mercy to the fatherless and the widows – those who cannot pay one back – and run away from sin, so as to be blessed now and granted eternal life in the world to come. – Luke 14:12-14