“Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He, who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law….”
James is telling his readers to be careful what they say to each other. We should always speak wisely. What does it mean to speak wisely? Would I want said about me what I am about to say about someone else? We would really like to think that people only say great things about us, but we know that this isn’t always true. I mentioned to a lady in one of my churches that I would like to have a device that would enable me to hear what people are saying about me. She said, “No you wouldn’t…” Well, would you want said about you what you say about others? Would I want said to me what I am about to say to someone else? It would be good that when we say ugly things to people, the words could boomerang and come back and slap us in the face. I love the counsel given by Proverbs 25:11: “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.” When we speak to each other we need to make sure that our words are “fitly spoken.” Our words should be used to actually help people; therefore, we should try to make sure that what we say to people, negative or positive, will actually help them. Proverbs 12:25 comes to mind: “Heaviness in the heart of a man (or woman) makes it stoop: but a good word makes it glad.” A good word at the right time has done me a lot of good over the years, and I hope I have reciprocated with good words to others. Would I say to, or about, someone what I am about to say in the presence of Jesus? (Whoa!!!) That does set the bar high!!! We need to remember that Jesus actually is present when we speak to, or about, each other. Perhaps before we speak to someone else, we should imagine that Jesus is standing there. This would really help us to choose our words more carefully. Will what I am about to say make the person to whom I am speaking a better person? Jesus spoke negative and positive things to people, but whatever He said would have make their lives better if they had listened. If the Pharisees had listened to Jesus, they would certainly have been better people. I hope that what I have written has been “fitly written,” and will make you think about what you say to and about people. Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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September 2021
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