“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and saltwater flow from the same spring?” James 3:9-11
My dear friends, I want to invite you on a journey with me this year. Years ago, I stopped making New Year’s resolutions and instead made goals. Eventually God inspired me to amend that process and instead focus on a “word”. This word would hopefully define the next year of my life. This has proved to be a fulfilling journey.
When 2022 was in its last waning hours, a family member asked what my new resolution was. I made a joke about one, but I was troubled because I didn’t have the “word” for 2023 spoken to me yet.
A few hours later, not quite midnight, God used a few verses to speak to my heart and birth in me a new desire to be as genuine, as pure, as Christlike as possible. The verses I read that night were James 3:9-11 and James 1:26. I know those verses well. They are underlined and annotated in my Bible. But the Holy Spirit convicted me and breathed the word “Blameless” into my searching spirit.
In 2023, I want to be blameless. I want any accusation to be laughed off because people can see Jesus emanated through me. I want any temptation to speak evilly, or destructively, or questionably to be squelched before it approaches my lips.
Words have so much power, and I think I forget that sometimes. I forget and think words are cheap and words come easy, but truthfully, words should be weighed. Words should be considered. Words should not be spoken hastily. I can never retract what I say, but I can consider and use them wisely.
Words have power, but I have self-control, and I have the Holy Spirit, and I have determination to love like Jesus. I can’t imagine what it would feel like to never have to feel bad for words I’ve spoken. I think that’s probably a common sentiment seeing as Jesus was the only person to never regret something He’d said. James 3:2 says, “We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.”
I’m not going to be perfect. I know that. But I can do my part to partner with the Holy Spirit to be blameless. To be blamed and to have blame rightfully fall upon my shoulders means I am at fault for something did or for some word I’ve spoken. But to be
blameless means no fault can stick because there is no truth to the accusation. I want to live more set apart from the world. I want to be truthful and wise. I want to be patient and kind. I want to be loving and blameless.
I invite you to join me on a journey of growth this 2023. Ask God for a “word” and pray that word. Live that word. But don’t undertake this journey lightly. For the temptations to walk in flesh will assault you sooner than you think, but the Holy Spirit will be your guide and your deliverer. It’s fulfilling and wonderful to look back at the end of the year and see how prominently that “word” appears in your story.
Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. James 1:26
