BS: James 13
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Power to Delight: the Fountain and Tree.
Power to Delight: the Fountain and Tree.
9 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.
10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?
12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.
The Fountan
The Fountan
The fountain, of course, provides the cool water that man needs to stay alive.
In Oriental countries, the presence of a freshwater fountain is a great blessing to a village.
Man needs water not only for drinking, but also for washing, cooking, farming, and a host of other activities so necessary to life.
4 The words of a man’s mouth are as deep waters, and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook.
11 The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.
14 The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.
These verses parallel what James has written and underscore the importance of our words.
Water brings life
Water brings life
Water is life-giving, and our words can give life.
However, if water is not controlled, it brings death and destruction.
Durban floods
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
Water Refreshes
Water Refreshes
However, when we bend over a fountain for a drink of cool water, we rarely think of floods.
We think only of the precious gift of refreshment that comes with a drink of water. We could not be healthy without water.
18 There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.
Paul’s prayer was that he might “refresh” the saints in Rome when he came to them.
32 That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed.
He often named Christians who had refreshed him:
18 For they have refreshed my spirit and yours: therefore acknowledge ye them that are such.
7 For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother.
20 Yea, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord: refresh my bowels in the Lord.
Water cleanses.
Water cleanses.
There was a laver in the Old Testament tabernacle and temple, provided for the cleansing of the priests’ hands and feet.
God’s Word is the spiritual water that cleanses us.
3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
But our words to others can also help to cleanse and sanctify them.
rebuke:
19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;
20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
The Tree
The Tree
The tongue is also delightful because it is like a tree.
In Bible lands, trees are vitally important to the economy: they help to hold down the soil; they provide beauty and shade; and they bear fruit.
Our words can help to shelter and encourage a weary traveler, and can help to feed a hungry soul.
21 The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.
Jesus said, “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). As we share His Word with others, we feed them and encourage them along the way.
Trees have roots
Trees have roots
The most important thing about a tree is the root system.
If the roots do not go down deep, the tree will not grow in a healthy manner. If we are rooted in the things of the Lord, then our words will be the fruit of our fellowship with Him.
We will be like that “blessed man” in Psalm 1 and produce fruit in due season.
One reason our Lord was able to say the right words at the right times was because He communed with His Father and heard from heaven each day. Listen to His testimony:
4 The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.
35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.
If you and I are going to have tongues that delight, then we must meet with the Lord each day and learn from Him.
We must get our “spiritual roots” deep into His Word. We must pray and meditate and permit the Spirit of God to fill our hearts with God’s love and truth.
A Warning
A Warning
9 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.
10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?
12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.
But James issued a warning: a fountain cannot give forth two kinds of water, and a tree cannot bear two different kinds of fruit.
We expect the fountain to flow with sweet water at all times, and we expect the fig tree to bear figs and the olive tree to bear olives. Nature reproduces after its kind.
If the tongue is inconsistent, there is something radically wrong with the heart.
The tongue that blesses the Father, and then turns around and curses men made in God’s image, is in desperate need of spiritual medicine!
How easy it is to sing the hymns during the worship service, then after the service, get into the family car and argue and fight all the way home! “My brethren, these things ought not so to be.”
The Problem
The Problem
The problem, of course, is not the tongue; it is the heart.
It is easy to have “bitter envying and strife” in our hearts (James 3:14).
18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
As we fill our hearts with God’s Word, and yield to the Holy Spirit, He can use us to bring delight to others, and we will be refreshing fountains and trees.
As I close this chapter, let me suggest that you start using the “Twelve Words That Can Transform Your Life.”
If you use these words and sincerely mean what you say from your heart, you will find that God will use you to be a blessing and encouragement to others.
There are only twelve of them, but they work.
“Please” and “Thank you.”
When you use these three words, you are treating others like people and not things. You are showing appreciation.
“I’m sorry.”
These two words have a way of breaking down walls and building bridges.
“I love you.”
Too many people read “romance” into these words, but they go much deeper than that. As Christians, we should love the brethren and even love our enemies. “I love you” is a statement that can carry tremendous power.
“I’m praying for you.”
And be sure that you are. When you talk to God about people, then you can talk to people about God. Our private praying for people helps us in our public meeting with people. Of course, we never say “I’m praying for you” in a boastful way, as though we are more spiritual than others. We say it in an encouraging way, to let others know that we care enough for them to meet them at the throne of grace.
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
Yes, the smallest but largest troublemaker in all the world is the tongue.
But it does not have to be a troublemaker! God can use our tongues to direct others into the way of life, and to delight them in the trials of life. The tongue is a little member, but it has great power.
Give God your tongue and your heart each day and ask Him to use you to be a blessing to others.