Devotional - November 23, 2022

Scripture: James 1: 26-27 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Having been raised with horses, the idea behind reining in your tongue is a familiar one. Riding a horse is a symbiotic relationship. You want to be in control, but never forget, you are working with another being that has their own mind and disposition. They have the power to do what they want, but if you train them right, they will work with you. When you guide them right or left, you pull the rein on the side you want them to go. There will be resistance, but they will follow your lead and turn in that direction. If you want to stop, you pull straight back. If you are dealing with a horse that has a lot of energy, you want to keep a firm hold on the reins to guide them along. So, when James advises his reader to keep a tight rein, he is saying something about our desire to talk. We need to be in firm control of it or it will get away from us. To use another horse euphemism, leave the barn door open and the horses will get out. And, once out, there is rarely anything you can do to rein it back in; no matter how sincere or sorry you are. In the life of the church, words matter. James goes as far as to say, if we do not control how we communicate, we render the church and our faith useless. Seems a bit extreme, but when kept in the context of his letter, it is not. As deadly as bullets are, they can miss, words always hit their mark. It is up to the receiver to have the emotional well being to deal with ill spoken words well. Not many of us have that kind of ability, but instead, we vere off in the other direction. We take things too personally. So when we speak, we have to be mindful of the message we share and how it will be received. It is a tall order that is hard to achieve, but the thought counts. Notice the shift in context as James transitions to his next point. He goes from speaking to doing. The proof is in the pudding. Say what you want about the taste, but the first spoonful says it all. For James, taking care of those who cannot take care of themselves was the church's first priority. As we've previously discussed in church and in our Bible study, in their day, family was a way of survival. A widow or orphan had no means of supporting themselves. And like today, those who end up in similar situations fall prey to the evils of others. There were no agencies they could turn to for help. Sooner or later, they would succumb to their situation and often died impoverished. James recognized that they too were created in the image of God, and in service to God, the church cared for them. He then turns back to the congregation admonishing them to keep their relationship with God pure, unpolluted. Like today, there were so many influences pouring into their faith tradition that were not Christian. To pollute something means to contaminate it with something else that is not purely of it. They had their teachings, their traditions ...such as they were, and the Spirit of God. Tempting as it may have been to do otherwise, James tells them to hold tight to their religion. I am sure it was a difficult thing to do. It is difficult for us too, because everyone wants to fit in. The thing to remember is, you do fit in. You fit into the community of God.

Pray with me..., Gracious God, at times we let our feelings flow and words fly. Bless those we have offended. If we have hurt them, we pray for their healing. And, Lord help us to heal from and forgive the unkind words of others. Lord, we pray for our family members and loved ones near and far. Bless their time of Thanksgiving this week. Grant them travelling mercies. Bless our loved ones, Lord, in accordance with their needs and bless our church. We are thankful for it. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

God's peace,

Pastor Brian