January 31, 2010
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3When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
7All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
9With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11Can both fresh water and salt[a] water flow from the same spring? 12My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
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1What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
4You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely?[a] 6But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
”God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.”[b]7Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
11Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?
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It is *so* annoying to find oneself in trouble and realize it to be of one’s own making. *sigh* It is especially annoying to find such trouble amongst people who have the big picture stuff solidified and yet wallow around in the problems of sin, selfishness and pride. Of course, those options are going to be there until Jesus calls us Home…but it doesn’t mean we have to go that route.
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Today was one of those days where I found myself getting into trouble right and left. Mostly with my mouth, but also with my actions…and non-actions; pretty much all over the place. Praise be to God, He helped me to not drown in it (although I felt like I was definitely in over my head for quite awhile) but instead, through His Word, reminded me that all I needed to do was a.) ask His forgiveness, b.) ask others’ forgiveness and c.) stop being so stubbornly filled with pride, thinking that I had to make *my* thoughts fully known, that I had to demonstrated *my* rightness in situations, that *my* take on the matter was what counted.
I know there are quite a few verses up top there…but they’re all good…gold, in fact. Truth on which one can depend. What causes fights and quarrels among you? Wrong desires…desires that go back to a root of pride. How to get out? Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up. Me lifting up myself gets me into trouble every time. God lifting me up brings Him glory and me joy.
Now if I would just remember that before I start to speak…
