These Things Ought Not to Be

"Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.” (James 3:10)

James is addressing “brethren,” fellow Christians. It is hard to fathom Christians, believers, followers of Jesus being double tongued but James uses the personal plural pronoun “we” in the previous verse to let us know that he has that problem also. There are many things that “ought not to be,” and inconsistent speech unbecoming a child of God is one of them.

James then asks about a fountain giving two kinds of water. He answers his own question by asking two others. Can a fig tree yield olive berries? or a vine figs?

A deacon friend of mine had a fellow worker tell my friend he had stopped sinning. As they worked on a large bulldozer a wrench slipped and the “perfect” man skinned a knuckle whereupon he punctuated the air with some choice curse words. My deacon friend said, “I believe you’re going to need to work on that sinless perfection some more.”

No, these things ought not to be but since they are we need to learn to run to the Savior for help in overcoming our sinful tongue.