As a reminder, we read these verses yesterday, which I do again this morning, and we honed in on the first 3 verses for yesterday’s discussion, while we’ll focus on the last 5 this morning.  So, here is the text and then we’ll dive into the discussion: (James 1:19-27).

Yesterday was all about becoming a doer, taking action.  And, remember, action isn’t how we gain salvation, and James isn’t telling us that we should use others’ actions to judge them...no, this is meant to be mirror, as a self-assessment...we are to examine whether or not there is evidence in our own lives that would lead us to believe God is working in us and on us. That was the first of the ideas from this section.

The second idea is a little more concrete - it is the idea that we should control our tongue.  This could be a direct application of the first idea...it could be, and probably will be for most of us, that a part of our growth is learning to control our words.  Two days ago, back up in verse 19 we are told to be quick to HEAR, slow to SPEAK...I think this just hops on the back of that.  Our words are SO important...not only the negative things we say, but the positive.  For me, I know I don’t leverage my words well enough in my house.  My family doesn’t get enough affirmation from me.  They don’t hear all of the positive things I think about them, what I love about them, and what I cherish about them enough.  Controlling my tongue isn’t JUST not saying what shouldn’t be said, and listening, but it is also saying what SHOULD be said...which can be equally important.  To that end, and piggy-backing on yesterday even more, sometimes what needs to be said isn’t a statement, but a question...questions help us understand, and understanding is required to love.  Let’s be sensitive to this idea of controlling our tongue.

And, lastly, another very concrete idea - that religion that is pure and undefiled is visiting orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.  I believe the essence of what James is speaking about here is the idea that we should love and care for and do for those who have nothing to give back to us, that we should love them because God first loved us, which in the context of James’ day was really the widows and orphans because of how society was set up.  Today’s society is different, and marginalization varies from culture to culture and geography to geography, but the idea is to go to the need, to serve those who can’t serve us back, and to give of the abundance God has given us.  And he layers on this second idea, which is that we should pursue moral purity, and we should derive our sense of value through God’s eyes, not the world’s.

So today, in all of that, here is my challenge to myself, to leverage my words in a positive fashion.  I am committing to finding a setting where I can speak into the lives of those closes to me and directly tell them what I think about them, why I love them, why they are awesome, and why I admire them.  I am going to leverage my words for good in a very deliberate and direct fashion.  I will be a doer of James’ teaching.