Praises or Curses

James 3:9-12 ⁽⁹⁾With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. ⁽¹⁰⁾Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. ⁽¹¹⁾Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? ⁽¹²⁾My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. (NIV)

         God made a promise to Abraham that he would be a father of many nations. Genesis 12:1-3 ⁽¹⁾The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. ⁽²⁾“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. ⁽³⁾I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (NIV) God kept His promise long after Abraham was gone. Israel grew with the blessings of God as long as she remained faithful to Him. 

        During that time, however, Israel had her share of enemies. Kings from other lands sought to destroy Israel and did whatever they could to succeed. Balak, king of Moab, heard about the Children of Israel and all the battles that God helped them to win. He felt threatened by them and sought to destroy them. Therefore, he sought out a prophet named Balaam in an attempt to have him place a curse on the Children of Israel. What he failed to realize was that no one can curse what God had blessed unless they forfeited the blessing themselves by falling into rebellion.

        Balaam attempted to do what the king wanted, but was only able to bless them instead. God did not allow the king to have his way, but placed words of blessings into Balaam’s mouth, so that the children of Israel would receive the promises that He had in store for them. 

        The Apostle James lets us know that there is a choice to be made. You can either use your mouth for good, or you can use it for evil. There is no in between when it comes to God. Revelation 3:15-16 ⁽¹⁵⁾I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! ⁽¹⁶⁾So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. (NIV) Jesus let us know in scripture that he actually finds it repulsive when someone is straddling the fence. God is not one to be shortchanged. You are either all the way for Him or you’re against him. You cannot have it both ways. 1 Corinthians 10:21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons. (NIV)

        A choice has to be made. Your mouth cannot be a tool used for God, and then with the same tongue, you are spewing out curses. You make the choice. It is totally up to you. Will you allow God to give you a mouth for praise? Joshua 24:15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." (NIV)

The Book of James: 30 Days of Devotion for Men by K L Rich is available on Amazon.com.