But no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it, we bless our Lord and Father, and with it, we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and saltwater? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water. – James 3: 8-12
Today’s world seems to be taking a turn for the worse in many ways and one of the most devastating areas in our use of social media. What does that have to do with the tongue, you might ask. I believe it has everything to do with our tongues because, while we have benefited from the written word for thousands of years, nearly all of our daily, immediate conversations with others have been with our voices, even if we used a telephone.
But today, so many people are connected through social networks that are anything but social. In fact, many of them are anti-social, wouldn’t you agree? There is a kind of disconnect when you aren’t face-to-face with someone. Think of some of the Facebook posts or Twitter rants you’ve read from people you know and from “famous” people.
I can think of a few I’ve read over the last few months from some pastors I know who have served to create more discord than anything else.
Now, what about us? Think of the passage above. Are we guilty of blessing the LORD and then cursing people who are made in His image? Do we bless and curse with the same tongue, whether we are face-to-face or behind a keyboard? James drives the point home. Can a salt pond produce freshwater? How is it that we are living contradictions?
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