Today's passage: Ecclesiastes 7:21-22
21 Also do not take to heart everything people say,
Lest you hear your servant cursing you.
22 For many times, also, your own heart has known
That even you have cursed others.
"Sticks and Stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me." "I'm rubber your glue, whatever you say bounces of me and sticks to you." Or my personal favorite "I know you are but what am I." Now to be honest I'm not sure if any of these sayings of my youth are still used today, but in there time they were the most powerful way to fight of "mean" words from ones classmates. In the end however those words still hurt.
Even as adults it's still tough to take personal attacks on your character. The tongue is one of the fiercest weapons we have available to us. James says this about the tongue in chapter 3 verse 8 "But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison." So the tongue is evil, its words can cause damage like poison. You may still remember to this day something someone said to you years ago. The tongue breaks up friendships, breaks up marriages, and leaves people bitter enemies by the time its all said and done.
The tongue is not just a problem today. We see even in Solomon's day people were hurt by the cutting things people said about them. And Solomon as he is offering wisdom on everything under the sun, offer's wisdom on this as well, telling us simply, to let it go. He doesn't tell us to talk it out, he doesn't tell us to get even, were not told to send the negative words right back at them, he advises us to just let it go. And why should we let it go? Because we've done the same thing.
Even if you don't make a habit of it, at some point in your lives we have all said something bad about someone else. And if we somehow haven't, we have at least thought it. We are all guilty as well Solomon tells us, so just let it go. It may not be easy, it may not be pleasant, but its time to let it go.
Application:
1. Are you still holding a grudge because of something someone said about you years ago? Do you still feel emotional pain when we think of something someone else has said about you? Perhaps something said about you is still sending your life is a bad direction today. Let me encourage you to let it go.
2. James continues with his thoughts on the tongue in verses 10-12 which state: "10 Out of the same mouth precede blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh." Is this true with you, do you continue speak badly towards those around you. Do you speak badly about people behind their backs? Let me encourage you to change today. Repent and ask for the Lords help in taming your tongue.
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