Dear Church,
Yesterday we sat under James Epistle and looked at James 3:9–12 and faced an uncomfortable truth: the same tongue that blesses God on Sunday can curse people made in His image on Monday. James says these things ought not to be so. A spring does not flow both fresh and bitter; a fig tree does not bear olives. If bitter keeps coming out, the root is the problem. Jesus confirms it: “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matt. 12:34–37). Our words reveal what lives within.
The good news is that the gospel does not ask us to polish old hearts but to receive new ones. As Spurgeon put it, “unless we are regenerated from above, we cannot produce fruit pleasing to God any more than a fig tree can bear olive berries. New birth produces new speech.”
So, this week we begin where Scripture tells us to begin, at the heart, and we ask the Lord to set a guard over our lips (Psalm 141:3). Before hard conversations or quick replies, we pause and pray, “Lord Jesus, speak through me.” If we cannot pray it, we will not say it. We aim for words that build up rather than tear down, truth carried on the wings of grace (John 1:14), and timing that shows patience rather than impulse. Where criticism has been easy, we will practice blessing: praying for the person we have resented, speaking a kind word to them, and finding one concrete way to do them good. In homes and groups, let’s ask one another simply, “Where did my words give life today, and where did they take it?” and then pray courageously for the Spirit to make our speech sound like heaven’s fresh water.
When we fail, and let me tell you, we will, then we will confess quickly to God and to the person we harmed. This is not a project of willpower but the fruit of Christ’s life in us. If He has made us new, our tongues will begin to sound new. Period.
May this be our prayer – “Lord Jesus, You are the Living Word. From Your mouth come truth and grace. Create in us clean hearts and give us Spirit-governed tongues. Let our homes, workplaces, and church hear the freshness of Your life in our speech. Amen.”
Be encouraged,
Mathews
