Words as a Drink of Choice

Photo by MrBobDobolina

It's a hot day and you just finished jogging. You see a water fountain and you go for it. As you put your head down to receive nourishment, out comes water that's very bitter! You jump back, amazed. You report to the responsible authorities that there is something wrong with that fountain. You make sure never to go back there because you had such a bad experience. 

You find yourself sitting at a coffee shop, waiting for your favorite beverage. It's gonna be nice and sweet, full of flavor. As you sip your beverage of choice, you taste 5 tablespoons of salt. It totally messed up that experience for you. What do you do? Return the drink. Complain. You do not accept being fooled that way. 

Photo by MartinMaters

We are very aggressive when it comes to our drink of choice being messed up but we are more accepting of other things such as words. 

"Does a fountain send forth [simultaneously] from the same opening fresh water and bitter?" James 3:11 asks and I answer, 'it should not.' 

I think of my words as fresh water for that thirsty jogger. I know that when I say words that are not Christ centered, my words taste like that bitter beverage. 

Your Words are everywhere

As a Media Professional, so I know the power of words very well. Words are used to move people into action all the time. My words have the same power. The Book of James encourage me not only to pay attention to the words that come out of my mouth but the ones that make their way into my Twitter feed and my Facebook status. Have you considered what kinds of words you share on your wall, those you never mean for people to see so they stay on your inbox and all the words you have ever shared online? Do they carry the same message or are they like fresh/bitter water? 

Consider the source of your water (words): they come from your heart (Proverbs 4:23). As we read James 3 this week as a church, I am tempted to go for the same interpretation as I've always had: 'yeah, I know, watch what you say.' This day I am encouraged to actually think of my words as water to the thirsty and I am moved to consider the source of my words, my heart (Luke 6:45).