A Toilet

James 3:9
The whole book of James, although small, is just filled with the ways to be the perfect Christian. Perhaps one of the best known chapters in James deals with keeping one's tongue under control. If we are going to have a positive impact on the world around us than we have to live differently than everyone else. No one is going to come to know Christ if they can't tell someone who professes to be a Christian apart from someone who is not. One big thing that we have to learn to control is what we say. Scripture after scripture warn about not letting any unwholesome talk come from your mouth. Being a potty mouth, a gossip, a liar and such will ruin any chances you have of leading others to Christ. Jesus said, "It's not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes out of your mouth...Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the toilet. But the words you speak come from the heart - that's what defiles you (Matthew 15:11,17,18)." Our mouths need to be used to uplift and encourage others and tell of the greatness of God, not to tear others down or ruin them. The whole of James chapter 3 goes into this at great length. James says, "...but no one can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right (James 3:8-10 NLT)!" It is important for us to bless others and to be peacemakers in this world. We must pray that God will help us to only say things that will be a blessing to others and when we do mess up that we will use our mouths to ask for forgiveness of those we have hurt. Read through all of James chapter 3. If you don't have a Bible handy you can go to BibleGateway and read it in any translation you wish! A powerful song to go with today's devotion is The Blessing by John Waller.