All of us interact with someone (if not many someone’s) every single day. Many of us live with others (e.g., a spouse, children, parents, roommates, etc) and we have to interact with them on a daily basis. Equally, many of us go to jobs or to school where we have to interact with bosses, coworkers, teachers, students, and way too many administrators. Many of us go to the shops for groceries or for whatever else and have to interact with others in the stores. Many of us commute to these places and have to interact with others on the road or on public transportation. And, even if someone lives alone, has no job, does not go to school, does not go to the store, and even if they never leave the house, many still get online and interact with people there. No matter how much of a hermit someone might want to be, they are going to interact with people at some point. And, for those of us who live in the normal world, we all interact with many others every day.
With all of that said, consider this question with me: Does it matter how we interact with others?
Well, it certainly matters to God! The Creator and Lord of every single person wants every single person to love every other person with the same love with which He has loved all of us. In John 3:16, Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” God loves each and every single one of us. He showed just how much He loved us when He gave His own Son to die on the Cross to be the propitiation for us all (1 John 4:8-10). And, He loved us when we were unlovable towards Him (Romans 5:6-11). His love for each of us is beyond Man’s capacity to understand (Ephesians 3:19). Friends, THIS is the love with which everyone is to love everyone else (1 John 4:7, 11). When we interact with others, we must interact with them with this kind of love for them.
With all of this in mind, consider James 3:5. Here, James says to Christians, “Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles!” In this passage (James 3:2-12), James tries to impress upon us all that, even though it is challenging, we all must strive to control ourselves (specifically, our speech) when interacting with others. The reason James gives us for this is that we must always be blessing God and those who have been made in the similitude of Him (James 3:9).
Sadly, far too often, we allow curses (note: not just “curse words”), instead of blessings, come out of mouths when we interact with people. We say mean and hurtful things to our loved ones, our coworkers or schoolmates, or complete strangers, to their faces, behind their backs, online, and everywhere else. So often, we issue those curses on purpose. And, (I’d like to believe) more often than not, we speak those evil things thoughtlessly and carelessly. My friends, regardless of what exactly we say, or how we say those things, or why we say those things, we must understand that these “curse-filled” interactions should not be so (James 3:10). This is especially the case for those of us who are Christians; that kind of interaction goes against our new spiritual nature in Christ (James 3:9, 11-12).
And, friends, no one ought to interact with others in a “cursing” manner because it is hurtful. The words which are said can be hurtful to the one to whom you say them. Those words may hurt those associated with them. Those words will hurt your conscience and your relationship with God. Those words may be overheard by others and they may be hurt by them in some way or another. Those words may be a stumbling block to them in their walk with God. Folks, “love does no harm” (Romans 13:10). How we interact with others must not be harmful. Rather, how we interact with others must be a blessing to them because we love the Lord and because we love those others like God loves them.
So, should James 3:5 influence how we interact with others? It better! And, it better all to the glory of God! Therefore, let us all strive to grow in our understanding of God’s love for us all. And, let us all strive to thereby grow in our interactions with others, making sure that they are always loving and God-glorifying.
–Curtis Carwile
If you would like to talk about any of these things further or if would like to consider some other Bible topic, then please contact us at the Northwest church of Christ. Any one of our members will be happy to assist you with your spiritual journey. We look forward to hearing from you soon!