Bitter Sweet

EE Smith wrote in the Wall Street Journal about a Congressman addressing the House of Representatives: “Never before have I heard such ill-informed, wimpy, back-stabbing drivel as that just uttered by my respected colleague, the distinguished gentleman from Ohio.” That is exactly how it sounds! Out of the same mouth we hear a litany of downers, chased by a series of respectable labels. Politics are crazy that way. It sounds rather hypocritical doesn’t it?

Maybe we should start where we previously read in James 3.10— “Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.” This is not complicated… we cannot allow a hypocritical mouth. For so many believers, this is the problem. We say things like: ‘love you’, ‘bless you’, and ‘great to see you’. We also say things that tear down, hurt, and separate. There is no room in a mature believers mouth for: trash talking, back bitting, laying blame, and spreading discord. Specifically, the last one, is prevalent in churches today. It can’t be! It’s not usually direct. It is the spread of bad seed, doubt about a person, and planting of bad feelings. As James said— “…these things ought not so to be.”

To illustrate, James lays down a question in verses 11-12. He then gives the obvious answer… No. “Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.”

Look at the importance of our words: “The words of a man’s mouth are as deep waters, and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook.” (Proverbs 18.4). Now back to chapter 10, verse 11— “The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.” These are simple, direct, facts. But lets go back to James 3 and see the examples sited by James again: water and trees.

First, water. Water is both life giving and destructive. We have to have it to survive, and it’s refreshing; but it can also take thousands of lives per year in floods and tsunamis. Water is refreshing as Romans 15.32 says— “That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed.” Paul’s desire was to refresh people when he came to them. This should also be one of our personal goals every time we come together— refresh others after the week they have had. We should never look to be blessed ourselves, but to bless others. This is just seeking selfishly to set ourselves up for disappointment by others. These are attitudes, that turn into actions, that destroy churches. Selfish people do not seek to bless everyone else. These are not mature spiritually. They will come expecting everyone to refresh them, and then sit in their self-pity.  

Next, trees. Trees and vines provide a lot too. Obviously they can provide food (fruit). Proverbs 10.21 says— “The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.” They also provide protection and shelter. People ought to feel safe around us; but the quickest way to kill that is by talking harsh or unkind. Paul explicitly says in Ephesians 4.32— “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted…” Plain and simple. 

The Real Problem is: The Heart. Proverbs 4.23— “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” The fountain only has one source for its water (its heart) it can only produce sweet or bitter. The vine and trees only have one root source (its heart), and will only produce its own fruit. So what’s up with a believer who has bitter and sweet coming out of the same mouth? They have a messed up heart! 

The singularity of the fruit of a tree and the singularity of water quality out of the fountain is natural. So when the tongue of a believer does not stay consistent, it is therefore NOT natural; it is a contradiction of his or her profession of faith. Their heart isn’t consistent.  

The heart of that believer is in desperate need of medicine. Remember the words from Jesus— “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” (Luke 6.45)

In verse 9— “Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.” Genesis 1.26 says— “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion…” Here it states: “made in the image” but James refers to it as “similitude”. There is a slight difference. James is referring to the whole verse; that we are not just made in his image but also representatives of God. If you treat the representative terribly then you think terribly of the sender. The way in which you treat a believer represents what you think of the Master they belong to. Jesus said in Matthew 25.40— “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

But it is more personal than that! The people James is referring to are “brethren”, meaning intimate family, therefore the children of God. Notice that God refers to His children as ‘children’, and not adult males or females. Would you talk to a small child, or about a small child, like you do to or about some adults? 

Our mouths should be sweet and NOT bitter. Make a choice today Follower of Christ. Give your heart and tongue to God every day, maybe several times a day, so that it will minister to others and refresh them. By doing so, we glorify God and not ourselves.

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