Wise Mouths

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.  Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.  Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. James 3: 9-12

I grew up in a home in which taking the Lord's name in vain and going to church every Sunday were both standard practice. I never could reconcile these contradictory practices. In retrospect their presence is truly related to ignorance to the word of God.

Praise at its root is thanksgiving to God. When we truly grow in maturity we are able to thank God for simple being himself. When we praise God just because he is God we appreciate where we are in the world and how our God given character traits are being used. Salt water and fresh water are not made distinctive in this verse because one as bad and the other as good. No salt water is prefect for the ocean creatures that dwell in it as fresh water is for the creature that dwell in ponds and lakes and rivers. James is not condemning the church for not praising God but cursing human beings. That usually happens when fig tree people want olive tree people to be figs and vice versa.

When this occurs bitterness, anger, and cursing follow. Humility recognizes that “A man has to know his limitations” Olive trees can not bear figs and certain kinds of people need to be in certain kinds of environments to succeed.

James 3:13 reads  “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” James is trying to tell us that Christian wisdom should be found both among fig tree people and olive tree people. If we are operating in the Spirit we will discern the types of people who we evangelize. Do we care enough about the soul in front of us to send them to a church that may suit their personality better than our church does or do “we harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts”?. Is our ambition to grow our church kingdom or the kingdom of God?

God has in most instances placed me a city away from the churches that I pastor. That means that most of the people that I lead to Christ live a great distance from my church. It provides me the opportunity to connect people with “fig tree pastors” and “olive tree pastors” Even when that was not the case I would try to connect people to where they belong.

Chapter 3: 15-16 of James describes a wisdom that was found among the believers he was addressing. He described it as follows, “Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.  For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.” If we had the wise among us envy and self ambition would be confronted as James is modeling in his letter. It would flow from the wise among us who live a good life as seen through their deeds. James says such wisdom “comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” then he adds that it creates “Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.”

How do you know when ambition is selfish and when it is Godly? Well in the end you can not always be sure. “let the wheat and tares grow up together” Jesus said. There are things to look for such as who does the message glorify. If it an individual or a church more than Jesus we should take note, and “know those that labor among us.” The traits the James list are basic manners “consideration” “submission” and basic fairness.

The message of the Gospel is not complicated, let us be wise and apply it in the simplicity in which it is given to us.