Salt and Fresh Water

James 3:10-12

Have you ever taken a drink, expecting one thing, only to taste something else? Perhaps you've tried to get Sprite out of a soda fountain only to get carbonated water? Or maybe you asked for Coke at a restaurant but they served Pepsi instead? It's disappointing to say the least. But what if you got a glass of water on a hot day and began to drink, only to discover that salt water is coming out of the tap or water cooler? It'd be pretty gross, wouldn't it? James explains why that's unlikely: "Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water." A fresh water spring is only going to produce fresh water, and a salt water spring is only going to produce salt water. James makes the application that our speech should be just that predictable. He says that we should either praise or curse rather than allowing our mouths to praise God one day and then turn around and curse someone else the next day.

This passage really speaks to one of the central themes of this blog: that our faith should not be isolated to Sunday but should carry over to Monday through Friday as well. We shouldn't be honoring God on Sunday only to live differently in our workplaces during the week. Look at how you talk to people this week. This passage is all about using our speech to honor God. How are you honoring God with the ways that you talk to people this week?