http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=james%204:11-17&version=65
James is continuing his theme of "What causes fights and quarrels among you" that we reflected on last week. He is responding directly to problems and issues that have been reported back to him and is confronting them head on. So often, we dance around issues and problems. We don’t make the changes of attitude and behaviour that God calls us to. They become the ‘little mice that ruin the harvest’.
I’ve shared with you that I grew up on the farm. Here is one of those things I learned from personal experience. When I was young, Dad would blow loose grain into the granary bins. Wherever you have food supply on the farm, you got mice. The danger was not in the amount of grain the mice would eat – for that was actually pretty minimal – the damage was in the ‘by- products’ that they would leave behind while they were eating and that would get mixed in with the grain. This is what causes the grain to potentially spoil, or bring possible disease.
Slander is like the by-product of mice that can ruin, or significantly reduce the quality of the harvest. When we slander someone, we need to consider ‘what we’re leaving behind’. A distasteful image, but the results of slanderous talk is also pretty distasteful.
Mark Twain said: It takes your enemy and your friend, working together, to hurt you: the one to slander you, and the other to get the news to you.
Judging one another is most dangerous, because it often hides under the covers of ‘truth’
It gets used to strengthen our own position at the cost of diminishing another. It seeks to make the one doing the ‘ slandering’ as virtuous or righteous.
Spin doctoring is department and art all of its own. It’s a term used to describe the ability to put a slant or spin on a story in order for it to appear in its most favourable light.
Judging’s purpose is always to self-elevate.
James is pretty direct 'Whenever you judge another and verbalize it you are slandering’. His remedy "Stop it, don’t do it". We have a great responsibility, both individually, and as a body together.
Individually, we must recognized and take responsibility for our attitudes and our behaviours. These are the mice that we let run all over the harvest, threatening to spoil it.
Corporately, as a body, we must have boldness and courage to confront it in each other. Not to ‘judge’ or to ‘criticize’ or be ‘self-righteous’ – but in gentleness, grace and humility because we love the Truth and we must all guard the harvest. If we truly engage in this with one another, we are not weakened, and tear each other down, but we strengthen and move closer to His image and His purpose.
James seems to make a jump from judging one another to Boasting about Tomorrow, but really they are tightly connected.
James 4:13-17 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=james%204:13-17;&version=65;
He’s talking about people that are too quick with their words, and their motives are to make themselves look better in the eyes of others. They let things "Slip out" for the purpose of impression. – Name dropping, self prompting statements "I’ve done, or earned, or have, I can…."
That’s tricky stuff. You think it is difficult hearing this sometimes, you should trying preparing this and feeling the challenges and implications ‘slap you upside the head’. Scripture has this bad habit of hitting close to home.
I need to slow down, and think through more carefully what I say – before I say it. One of my Dad’s saying was "Your mouth is in motion before your brain is in gear".
I believe James had a Proverbs 27:1 –2 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs%2027:%201-2;&version=65;
James ends this reflection this morning with the interesting line:
Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.
For us this morning I believe it challenges us; when we’re in a conversation that does not build up others but tears down, it isn’t enough just not to participate, we must speak up.
When we know that we have internal mice that we let run rampant within us, that affects our attitude and behaviour. We must not excuse or justify, but do the hard work, by the power of the Spirit that resides within, and don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good, pleasing, and perfect.
(Romans 12:2 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=romans%2012:2;&version=65;)
Neil
James is continuing his theme of "What causes fights and quarrels among you" that we reflected on last week. He is responding directly to problems and issues that have been reported back to him and is confronting them head on. So often, we dance around issues and problems. We don’t make the changes of attitude and behaviour that God calls us to. They become the ‘little mice that ruin the harvest’.
I’ve shared with you that I grew up on the farm. Here is one of those things I learned from personal experience. When I was young, Dad would blow loose grain into the granary bins. Wherever you have food supply on the farm, you got mice. The danger was not in the amount of grain the mice would eat – for that was actually pretty minimal – the damage was in the ‘by- products’ that they would leave behind while they were eating and that would get mixed in with the grain. This is what causes the grain to potentially spoil, or bring possible disease.
Slander is like the by-product of mice that can ruin, or significantly reduce the quality of the harvest. When we slander someone, we need to consider ‘what we’re leaving behind’. A distasteful image, but the results of slanderous talk is also pretty distasteful.
Mark Twain said: It takes your enemy and your friend, working together, to hurt you: the one to slander you, and the other to get the news to you.
Judging one another is most dangerous, because it often hides under the covers of ‘truth’
It gets used to strengthen our own position at the cost of diminishing another. It seeks to make the one doing the ‘ slandering’ as virtuous or righteous.
Spin doctoring is department and art all of its own. It’s a term used to describe the ability to put a slant or spin on a story in order for it to appear in its most favourable light.
Judging’s purpose is always to self-elevate.
James is pretty direct 'Whenever you judge another and verbalize it you are slandering’. His remedy "Stop it, don’t do it". We have a great responsibility, both individually, and as a body together.
Individually, we must recognized and take responsibility for our attitudes and our behaviours. These are the mice that we let run all over the harvest, threatening to spoil it.
Corporately, as a body, we must have boldness and courage to confront it in each other. Not to ‘judge’ or to ‘criticize’ or be ‘self-righteous’ – but in gentleness, grace and humility because we love the Truth and we must all guard the harvest. If we truly engage in this with one another, we are not weakened, and tear each other down, but we strengthen and move closer to His image and His purpose.
James seems to make a jump from judging one another to Boasting about Tomorrow, but really they are tightly connected.
James 4:13-17 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=james%204:13-17;&version=65;
He’s talking about people that are too quick with their words, and their motives are to make themselves look better in the eyes of others. They let things "Slip out" for the purpose of impression. – Name dropping, self prompting statements "I’ve done, or earned, or have, I can…."
That’s tricky stuff. You think it is difficult hearing this sometimes, you should trying preparing this and feeling the challenges and implications ‘slap you upside the head’. Scripture has this bad habit of hitting close to home.
I need to slow down, and think through more carefully what I say – before I say it. One of my Dad’s saying was "Your mouth is in motion before your brain is in gear".
I believe James had a Proverbs 27:1 –2 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs%2027:%201-2;&version=65;
James ends this reflection this morning with the interesting line:
Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.
For us this morning I believe it challenges us; when we’re in a conversation that does not build up others but tears down, it isn’t enough just not to participate, we must speak up.
When we know that we have internal mice that we let run rampant within us, that affects our attitude and behaviour. We must not excuse or justify, but do the hard work, by the power of the Spirit that resides within, and don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good, pleasing, and perfect.
(Romans 12:2 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=romans%2012:2;&version=65;)
Neil
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