Christian Hypocrisy
James 3:6-9 The tongue is like a fire. It is a world of evil among the parts of our body. It spreads its evil through our whole body and starts a fire that influences all of life. It gets this fire from hell. Humans have control over every kind of wild animal, bird, reptile, and fish, and they have controlled all these things. But no one can control the tongue. It is wild and evil, full of deadly poison. We use our tongues to praise our Lord and Father, but then we curse people who were created in God’s likeness.
When was the last time that someone said something to you that smarted, that caused you to wince, to recoil; that caused you pain? Think back … is it an experience that you’d like to repeat in a hurry?
Probably not, I’d imagine. Definitely not! I have a neighbour who always has some negative comment, some little dig, ready and waiting when he sees me. Not surprisingly, I’m always delighted when I get in or out of our place without running into him.
So, let’s now put the shoe on the other foot. Rather than being on the receiving end, what do you and I dish out? What do we say? How do others see us as a result? And most importantly of all, what does God think?
James 3:6-9 The tongue is like a fire. It is a world of evil among the parts of our body. It spreads its evil through our whole body and starts a fire that influences all of life. It gets this fire from hell. Humans have control over every kind of wild animal, bird, reptile, and fish, and they have controlled all these things. But no one can control the tongue. It is wild and evil, full of deadly poison. We use our tongues to praise our Lord and Father, but then we curse people who were created in God’s likeness.
It’s true, isn’t it? In one breath those of us who call ourselves Christians will be praising God, and in the other, cursing the very same people whom He created and whom He loves.
The world hates a hypocrite. And I don’t imagine that God’s all that particularly enamoured of them either. Watch what you say.
That’s His Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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