Living in the Spirit
September 14, 2018
Scripture Reading: James 3:1-12
How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell. For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water? Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield olives, or a grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh. –James 3:5b-12
The scripture above was, of course, written before the advent of social media where tweets and posts of all shorts can easily do good as well as harm to millions of people in 250 words or less. Thirty-second sound bites on radio and TV accomplish the same thing. Such voices are bolstered by pictures, perhaps doctored, and other digital devices designed to manipulate our thinking, casting stones at some, raising others to lofty heights undeserved. How do we discern truth in such a world as this?
There are several websites solely dedicated to fact-checking words and that is important, but facts do not encompass the whole of truth. The question we must add regarding all information transmitted to us regarding our relationships with others is: Does it pass the test of love? If it does not pass the test of love it is not of God. This question forces us to delve deeply into discerning what love really is. We toss the word around rather loosely in our society. We say we love chocolate and bright sunny days and traveling the world when we mean that we really enjoy these things. The Greeks had at least three words for love all regarding relationships with God or other people. I like M. Scott Peck’s definition of love: wanting the very best for another. It is predicated on the idea though that we are not responsible for determining what is right for another. God determines what is righteous. We must discern our own righteousness from our relationship with God as do all other people. We can journey with each other as we strive for God’s righteousness.
Prayer: Teach us to love as you would have us, love. Amen.