People who are in positions of authority such as leaders in the Church, who teach and shepherd God’s flock, can be given high respect to an extent that many will desire to be in such positions. During James times, people presumed to be leaders and teachers as a way of seeking honor and high positions. This was the reason James wrote and said “Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers and sisters because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. Ja 1:1-2
Being a teacher or a leader is a good thing because God has chosen some among us to be in positions of leadership and bestows upon those he chooses high expectations and responsibilities. Therefore, God’s judgment to those in authority is stricter than those who are following them.
The root for all these is everything that comes from someone’s speech through the influence of the tongue. James illustrates this by explaining how a horse can be controlled by a very small bit and an entire huge ship by a very small rudder to wherever the pilot wants it to go, yet no one can be able to tame a small organ of the body, the tongue. Though small, the tongue can result to all sorts of evil and at the same time speak the best of the best.
James gives an example of a forest in verses5b-6 saying, “consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell”. Jesus also challenged the tradition of the Pharisees when He said, “what goes Into a man’s mouth does not make him ‘unclean’, but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him unclean”. Mt15:11. “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man unclean. V19.
The illustration James gives from the bit, rudder and a spark shows how important the tongue is as a member of our body. It’s what the devil will always target to use and is sure to control your life if he gets hold of it. If the devil corrupts your tongue then your whole person is corrupted. Proverbs 10:19, “when words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise. The tongue of the righteous is choice silver but the heart of the wicked is of little value”.
James says that it should not be that the same tongue which gives praise to him is the same that curse men who have been created in God’s likeness. We must therefore be very careful on what we say to others. According to Ja 3:8 one can tame the tongue because it’s a restless evil, full of deadly poison..Is there any solution? Yes. The solution is living a life that is surrendered and submitted to God. Our sincere devotions to God is a super catalyst that brings dynamic transformation in our lives; molding us into God’s likeness and making us to be the kind of people He wants us to be.
No comments:
Post a Comment