The House You're Building

    Who wants to live a good life?  I think every hand in the room would go up.  If you asked the average American, the good life would have to do with a certain set of circumstances: happy marriage, sprawling home, new cars, satisfying job, thriving children, tropical vacations, restaurant dining, and a padded 401k.  But God’s instruction for us on how to achieve the good life has nothing to do with our salary.   It has to do with controlling our words.    Our mouth can get us into trouble, it can even show we aren’t taking advantage of living a life of faith.    If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. - James 1:26   When I read the phrase  keeps his tongue from evil,  it makes me think of using words to create plans to harm or making false accusations.  Yet humanity has a track record of mislabeling thi...

Prepare Your Heart: Read James 3:2-14.   Reflect through prayer or journaling the control of your tongue or any situations where it has put you in harm’s way.   What examples of this passage have you seen in your life? Happy New Year!   Everyone is making resolutions.   In the background behind me I can hear the beach body trainer on P90X because my husband has made a resolution to exercise more.   In my first grade class we even joined the fun and created goals as a writing project.   Many people become mindful of the dangers in what they eat, how they spend their time, and unhealthy habits like smoking, etc.   I’ve been known in the past to not make resolutions because I don’t want to break them !   Yet, it is great to look at your life and find areas that need tweaking.   How about in your spiritual life?   To see my thoughts on how I’m doing straight out of my journal from last year, reference my last post: Gleanings 2011. ...