23/08/2026
"In step with the LORD" Devotional:
Title: “Be positively consistent in the use of your tongue!”
Text: James 3: 9-12
Beloved, many people use the same tongue to do positive and negative things. But our text says, “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.” (NIV)
After stating that the tongue is an untamable restless evil that must be surrendered to the Holy Spirit for control (cf. 3: 7-8), James demonstrated the real life example of the untamable nature of the tongue and warned that it must not be so. He focused on the heavy contradiction of using the tongue to praise God and at the same time, curse people. James argued that this kind of double-minded speech was unnatural and put to question the genuineness of their faith. For, genuine faith in Christ must result in the transformation of the heart and mind. James pointed out that both fresh water and salt water cannot come from the same source. Likewise, a fig tree cannot bear olives or a grapevine bear figs. So, just as a tree produces its specific fruit, so our speech reveal what is truly inside our hearts and who is really in control of us.
Dear friend, we must prove the genuineness of our faith in Christ by being positively consistent in the use of our tongues. We cannot use the very tongues that we praise God with to curse or cause pain to others. That would be completely inconsistent with who we claim to be. It would be hypocrisy. Our speech must reflect the nature and character of Jesus Christ. We must intentionally submit our hearts to God daily through prayer and nourishment on the word. Pray first thing every morning that the Holy Spirit would monitor your heart and mind, filter and direct your speech so that whatever comes from your mouth should build people rather than cause pain and destruction. We should intentionally become “dead seas” or “mortuaries” for rumours and gossips. We must not promote falsehold or anything that does not glorify God and build others up in the faith. We should be quick to listen, slow to get angry and slow to react to what others say. Let us build the discipline of speaking only what is true, encouraging, comforting and edifying rather than piercing to the hearts. Our words should be seasoned as with salt.
Heavenly Father, help me to be positively consistent in all that I say. Greetings. Rev. Njini Edward.
