Vicar's Voice, 17 November 2019

“Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water? Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield olives, or a grapevine, figs? No more can saltwater yield fresh” (James 3:11-12 NRSV)

When Jesus rebuked the pharisees about their hypocrisy he suggested that what comes out of a person is corrupt, not the things that go into their mouths (Matthew 15:10-12). It is little wonder that the Pharisees were offended by Jesus’ words. But the reality is that what we are thinking in our hearts is often manifested in the way we speak and act. But even our body language doesn’t always reveal some of the wickedness we harbour in our minds and hearts.

Our attitudes produce our behaviour. If we have given ourselves entirely to God and want to honour him in our lives, then what is in our hearts will manifest with the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives. People will hear our words first then see our deeds. As they consistently point towards God, others will be blessed through us.

If we say things that are dripping with sarcasm or cynicism, some people will rightly conclude that we harbour bitterness in our hearts. In this state we cannot avoid being critical and make negative comments. Sadly, some of us are like that all the time. As followers of Christ, this is not just unattractive, it could be a deterrent to people hearing the message of Christ. I was told recently by one of my peers that the words “Christian” and “cynicism” don’t belong in the same sentence. Yes, I was tending to be a bit cynical at the time. And I was duly rebuked.

James makes a further conclusion, that the same heart cannot produce light and darkness at the same time, any more than a spring can produce both fresh (pure) and brackish (salty) water. It is incompatible in the life of Jesus’ followers to think on things that are good and godly and then commit some evil against God or another person. If we are filled with the Holy Spirit it should be very difficult, if not impossible, to deliberately yield to temptation and commit sin. If only it was that simple! 

Perhaps we could learn from pop psychology a simple device. When somebody says something provocative to us, before we react inappropriately with anger or foul talk, take a deep breath and start to mentally count backwards from 100. At least say a “Nehemiah prayer”, despatching an instant request for help from the Holy Spirit. The most common prayer I find myself repeating is simply, “God help me!” and he does. Sure, I still fail sometimes but that doesn’t prevent me from persevering and continuing to try.

Always it comes back to this: depend on the Holy Spirit to guide us through our lives. Both in the good times, when we sometimes become self-reliant and the bad times when we sometimes blame God for adverse circumstances. Above all, ask the Spirit daily to give us the right words to speak in every situation we are going to find ourselves.

 In Christ’s love,

Alan Wood