PODCAST
Practice Pausing
August 28th, 2022
James 3:1-6
James must have been a difficult friend to hang out with. Imagine trying to have a conversation with the guy who reminds us that “the tongue is . . . a world of evil among the parts of the body [which] sets the whole course of one’s life on fire and is itself set on fire by hell” (v.6). Okay, James. I get it. I’ll keep my mouth shut!
What James is remind us is that speech is dangerous. In a world of social media, we all have our own platforms from which to “teach” and tell others what we think they ought to do. Maybe we should pause before we post and think about James whenever consider making an authoritative statement on anything!
James knows that what we say has extraordinary power, and that this is a power we should use with utmost prayer and humility. It’s not that we should never speak authoritatively—it’s that we should do so only once we have carefully considered the high calling of perfect love that Jesus has laid on our lives.
Author: Tara Thomas Smith
