The Book of James
A 10 day devotional series on thriving and surviving this Thanksgiving break
Day 5
Read: James 3:1-12
Devo: It is safe to say that we have all seen a situation rage out of control because of a rash word, especially around the holiday season! During James and Jesus' childhood, James likely said many things to Jesus that he later regretted. It is amazing how much power we have through the words that we say. In Genesis, we can see God’s words have incredible power as he speaks creation into being! Later, Jesus also exercises this power while he is calming raging storms, healing people from illness, and forgiving people of their sins. As people made in the image of God, we reflect this power in our words! There are many profound verses in Proverbs that describe the consequences of our words (15:1-4, 16:24, 17:27, 21:23, 29:20). Proverbs 18:21 says that the tongue has the power of life and death! This scripture should make us think twice before choosing what we say! Let’s fill our mouths with blessings by praising God and encouraging others. Speak life instead of death! Here is a Thanksgiving day tip: You’ll find it is much harder to reply quickly with a fork in your mouth! In the moments that you feel yourself losing control of your tongue at the dinner table, chew on that fork and remember James’s analogy about the bit in the mouth of a horse.
Process with the Lord through the journaling questions!
Pray: Lord, I am sorry for the moments that I have used my words to bring death rather than life. Please help me to keep a tight rein on my tongue this week, and teach me how to apply this principle for the rest of my life.
Devo: It is safe to say that we have all seen a situation rage out of control because of a rash word, especially around the holiday season! During James and Jesus' childhood, James likely said many things to Jesus that he later regretted. It is amazing how much power we have through the words that we say. In Genesis, we can see God’s words have incredible power as he speaks creation into being! Later, Jesus also exercises this power while he is calming raging storms, healing people from illness, and forgiving people of their sins. As people made in the image of God, we reflect this power in our words! There are many profound verses in Proverbs that describe the consequences of our words (15:1-4, 16:24, 17:27, 21:23, 29:20). Proverbs 18:21 says that the tongue has the power of life and death! This scripture should make us think twice before choosing what we say! Let’s fill our mouths with blessings by praising God and encouraging others. Speak life instead of death! Here is a Thanksgiving day tip: You’ll find it is much harder to reply quickly with a fork in your mouth! In the moments that you feel yourself losing control of your tongue at the dinner table, chew on that fork and remember James’s analogy about the bit in the mouth of a horse.
Process with the Lord through the journaling questions!
Pray: Lord, I am sorry for the moments that I have used my words to bring death rather than life. Please help me to keep a tight rein on my tongue this week, and teach me how to apply this principle for the rest of my life.