ESOCS Devotional 30 November
TEXT: JAMES 3:1-18 KJV
MEMORY VERSE: “Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.” James 3: 13 KJV
A man’s mouth is driven by what preoccupies the heart. Bridling the tongue means dealing with the heart first – not merely blurting out unkind words. The passage says the tongue is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison and cannot be tamed by man (James 3:8); and any man who does not offend in words is wise. In other words, for one to be termed as wise one must be able to bridle the tongue by ensuring only words that blesses God and man comes out of it.
This is what differentiates a child of God from the people of the world. They show out of a good conversation their works with meekness of wisdom (James 3:13), and do not speak boastful things.
To be able to bridle the tongue, you must “submit to God and resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4: 7). When you submit to God, you will not have bitter envying and strife in your hearts. You will not be boastful, you will not tell lies because all these characters are devilish, earthly and sensual, which shows the wisdom of the world (James 3:14 –15). Rather, you will be filled with the wisdom from above, which is pure, peaceful, and gentle, full of mercy, and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy; and this wisdom will eventually produce fruit of righteousness, which is sown in peace.
Read yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here
CHALLENGES
- What measures have you put in place to ensure that you are able to bridle the tongue?
PRAYER POINT
- Thank God for helping you realize the importance of bridling the tongue. Ask Him to fill you with His wisdom and enablement to be able to bridle your tongue.
FURTHER READING: Proverbs 1:1-19; 1:26-33; James 4:1-17
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ESOCS Devotional 29 November
