April 17 ~ James 3:7-12
This is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can’t tame a tongue—it’s never been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and
blessings out of the same mouth!
My friends, this can’t go on. A spring doesn’t gush fresh water one day and brackish the next, does it? Apple trees don’t bear strawberries, do they? Raspberry bushes don’t bear apples, do they? You’re not going to dip into a polluted mud hole and get a cup of clear, cool water, are you?
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
This morning, Timothy said he was hungry. I ran through a litany of items we had available, and none suited him. Finally, he said he would like a scrambled egg. When I sat it before him, he said, “That’s not the kind I wanted… it’s not white.” I asked if he wanted a fried egg… he said yes. So I fried him an egg. That wasn’t right either. I really think he wanted a hard-boiled egg. But I had already eaten a scrambled egg and a fried egg… and he had returned to his blocks and toys… so we didn’t boil any eggs!
Eggs can take on several different forms, depending on how you cook them. So you may be like Timothy and say, “No thanks!” when served a fried or scrambled egg. Your excuse would be that you simply do not care for fried or scrambled eggs. And while we all prefer our eggs prepared in different ways, nobody wants a raw or rotten egg.
When it comes to many of our words and actions, the “egg principle” directly applies. Everyone has their own personality. Some people are dry-witted or use a lot of sarcasm. Others are loud and brash, talk a lot and always say what is on their mind. Still others may be shy and hesitant… quiet and reserved. All have a voice… they just exercise it differently. But when those voices spew foul language, unkind words, disrespectful comments about someone else – or dishonorable talk against God – it’s the same as gushing raw or rotten eggs…distasteful and potentially harmful. And God is not pleased.
There are a lot of acceptable choices in life. There are plenty of instances where we are perfectly justified to say, “I prefer XYZ,” or “I do not care for fried or scrambled eggs.” But there are even more instances in which our words and actions matter greatly… and no excuses are acceptable. It is up to us to seek God’s will and wisdom and to check our behavior and our talk… to make sure we are pleasing Him at all times. Have you done this lately? Is it time for you to give yourself a “talk and action” tune-up? What sort of “eggs” are you serving these days?
©2013 Debbie Robus
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