James 3:9-12: We praise our Lord and Father with it, and we curse men who are made in God’s likeness with it. 10 Praising and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers, these things should not be this way. 11 Does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a saltwater spring yield fresh water.
These verses are the very definition of a Hypocrite: a person who acts or SPEAKS in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings. On Sunday morning, we praise the Lord, and on Monday, we do the opposite. Now, maybe it is not as bad as cursing a man, perhaps it is just an omission of action. We are letting others tell crude jokes or participating in gossip. Our standard of behavior needs to be consistent, and we need to define what is acceptable.
For Evil to triumph, a good man does nothing
Years ago, when our oldest children were entering their teenage years, our best friends, the Greene’s who were also raising five children the same age, had a saying, “For evil to triumph, a good man does nothing.” We sought to instill in our children to stand up to evil, say something, do something, don’t just let evil happen. As we look at the events of this week, I believe that is precisely what has happened. Good men didn’t stand up, and evil triumphed over and over again.
Dear Lord, our hearts are grieved over the actions of evil this week. We feel helpless and saddened by the tragedies. Lord, we cry out that you would HEAL our land. Start with our hearts and let us be consistent with our actions and speech. That we would stand up when we see injustice and evil and point our nation back to you daily. In Jesus name, Amen.
The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Jas 3:9–12). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
