--"Words Are Tools / Watching Our Speech "

~~All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
---(James 3:7-8 / NIV) --

--James is not writing to the ungodly or the immoral or the wicked; he’s writing to Christians. James was a plainly spoken man who is acknowledging a challenge we have—the significance of our words—and directing us to consider how we should address it. While “no human being can tame the tongue,” some of us have learned to allow the Holy Spirit to direct our speech. For many of us, however, it is very difficult to control our words. I want to invite you to think of your words as tools. Just as you pick up and use a chainsaw or a hammer to accomplish different tasks, so should you choose your words. My objective is to become a skilled craftsman with my words, not for the presentation of sermons, but so that I might invite God’s best into my life and build up other people. It will be a lifelong task, but it is one that I am committed to.

THINK ABOUT IT
~~Do your words generally tear down or build up? Strive to be a person who encourages others. Sometimes an uplifting word can make all the difference in a person’s life.

PRAYER
--"Heavenly Father, deliver me from anything that misrepresents Your character through my words. “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14). In Jesus’ name, amen."

Blessings,
Pastor Allen Jackson
[Friends, we all have trouble with this. That's why it's in the Bible. In this fallen world of sin, we can react quickly with the first response/ words that come to mind. I know I have problems with this at times. I have committed Psalm 19:14 to memory. I certainly have used it often. "Help me, Jesus to follow in your steps." ]
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