Once again, I face so much in today’s reading that applies to me quite directly. I’ll keep it down to one or two, of course.

From James 4:6 comes this:

“God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”

God doesn’t merely ignore the proud, leaving them alone. He actively works against them! The proud life is a graceless life.

And from James 4:11 . . . .

“Speak not evil one of another, brethren.”

As careful as I try to be about this, I’m still too careless at times. I understand this is in the context of a judgmental spirit. Even so, I ought to be extremely reluctant to engage in negative and degrading speech about another.

Speaking of the tongue, which no man can tame and which is evil and full of deadly poison, James 3:9 observes:

“Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.”

If you were to hear me talk that way, which would you believe? Which would you accept as truly revealing the content of my heart?

It is impossible to bless God with a cursing tongue.

Blessing God does not undo my railing against another. It won’t even act as a counter balance to my evil speaking, somehow evening the score and giving me a clean slate.