January 25, 2024
Dear Central Church,
How are you doing with those New Year’s resolutions? This is about the time of year in which fitness center participation returns to normal. The “regulars” now breathe a sigh of relief that all the “New Year’s resolution” people have returned to the couch.
I think people who make New Year’s resolutions have the best of intentions. I say this from experience, as I’ve made and broken a few in my lifetime.
The book of James calls us to change but not the kind of change that is seasonal or temporary. Its divinely inspired wisdom is focused on the formation of our character, a process that can only be accomplished by returning again and again to what God declares as a true, beautiful, and good way to live.
There seems to be a direct correlation between a person’s character and their words. So much of the Proverbs are focused on what we say and how we say it. James builds on this tradition and writes poignantly about “taming our tongue.” (James 3:8)
As you read through this passage, it’s clear that our society believes a lie about our words: “Stick and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Nothing could be further from the truth. When people say hurtful and destructive words, it slashes deep and leaves wounds that are not easily healed. When leaders use inflammatory and reckless speech, it creates environments where hatred and prejudice once dormant emerges in acts of violence. When young people get bullied online, what we may dismiss as meaningless megapixels on a screen are actually doing mega-harm to young souls who are trying to discover who they are and where they fit.
Words hurt. What we say, how we say it, and when we say it matters.
The ultimate goal of the Christian life is to be more like Jesus. Therefore, James calls us to “tame the tongue.”
This Sunday, Pastor David Goodwin is going to lead us in an exploration of James 3 and this call to surrender our speech to the lordship of Jesus. David has served as youth pastor at Central for seven years and is a gifted pastor and communicator. You will not want to miss what the Lord has put on his heart. I know God will use it to make all of us more like Jesus!
Until He’s Finished,
Pastor Mark