Morning Moments

JAMES Devotional Outline

Chapter 3

III. WHOLESOME WORDS 3:1-18
A. Guarded Words 3:1-2
B. Guided Words 3:3-4
C. Godless Words 3:5-12

1. Unacceptable 3:5-6
2. Uncontrollable 3:7-8
3. undeniable 3:9-12

There are certain things in nature as in life that are just undeniable. To deny the the truth about them is to indicate one's total rebellion against sound judgment, common sense, and Biblical revelation, as well as the laws of nature.

I am not a horticulturalist, but one doesn't have to be to know the impossibilities of springs pour both fresh and salt water, fig trees producing olives, and bitter water and stagnant coming from the same source of opening. Even so, James says, it is just as inconsistent for the same mouth to speak blessing and cursing.

a. Blessing and cursing - completely inconsistent.

I have never so called Christian people tell some of the nastiest jokes and have known even preachers who watch pornography. According to James, this is a complete contradiction and is totally inconsistent with Christianity. I am afraid we live in a day where much of this goes on and it must break the heart of God, but we must be reminded that the "teacher" will receive the greater judgment.

b. Sweet water and bitter - completely incomprehensible.

I don't drink city water. I drive about 20 miles with 3 or 4 jugs every so often and fill my jugs with well water. I realize that all city water may not be nasty with chemicals, but where I live, it is awful. I prefer spring water or well water. James point here is that the same source does not provide good water and bad.

Just as I can count on the city source being consistently the same - too much chlorine, I can count on the well water being the same every time - smooth and sweet.

c. Fig tree and olive berries, vine and figs - completely impossible.

I am told that in Okinawa there is a beautiful tree that produces a luscious looking fruit one had better not eat for it is poisonous. That is awful and deadly, but at least one would know the possibility of it and leave it alone. The impossibility comes from expecting a tomato plant to produce potatoes or a fig tree to produce olives, or a vine to produce figs. These things are just an impossibility of nature. In the same manner, speech that is ungodly is just as impossible to proceed from the new man, the new nature, created by God in righteousness and true holiness. The key here is identifying the source of such speech as from the devil and not from God.

d. Salt water and fresh - completely inseparable.

We live only about 65 miles from the Gulf of Mexico which is of course salt water. It would certainly be ludicrous of me to bring home jugs of that water to drink thinking that it would be fresh.

I understand that there is equipment that has the ability to remove the salt content from sea water, but I am not sure it is drinkable at this point. In any event, salt water and fresh water are not found in the same source - the salt content must be separated.
In the same way speech that is not consistent with faith should be eliminated from the vocabulary of any and every believer - permanently.

BLESSINGS!