Daily ScriptureDo not speak evil against one another, brothers and sisters…. There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save and to destroy. So who, then, are you to judge your neighbour? (James 4.11-12)Daily ReflectionIt is all too easy to condemn others. We do have to make judgments, about truth and falsehood, about wisdom and folly, about what is good and what is bad, but we do not have to, and we should not, pass judgment on one another.David Harmsworth
Daily ScriptureSo also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits. How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so. (James 3:5-6a, 9-10)Daily ReflectionJames compares the damage the tongue can do (the things we say) to a raging fire. A forest fire always starts small, but see how quickly it can get out of control and the devastation it can cause. A simple yet powerful analogy. And why is it that out of the same mouth with which we praise and worship God also come words that put down the very thing that God has created…..our fellow human-beings, our neighbour?A few throwaway words spoken in anger can destroy a relationship. Our contradictory thoughts and speech is very confusing and damaging. Another verse at the beginning of this chapter simply says, “For all of us make many mistakes.” Perhaps if, before we speak today, we remember that our words can be like a raging fire we might not make so many mistakes. Let the words you speak today be pleasing to God. Revd David
Daily ScriptureWhat good is it ,my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works. Can faith save you? (James 2. 14) Daily ReflectionWhat is going to save us - our faith in God, or doing good ‘works’? Of course, both! It is not enough simply to be a good person, nor is it enough simply to believe in God. God requires our good works, not as the grounds of our justification, but as evidence of it! The Salvation Army motto says this perfectly - “Heart to God, and hand to man”. Remember Jesus said that whatever we do for other people, we do for Him. Let your faith flow out into love for others - it is not only beneficial, it is essential. Vicki Young
Daily ScriptureBut blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. (Matthew 13:16-17)Daily ReflectionEvery time in history is unique. Here, Jesus is speaking to his disciples, telling them, that they are seeing and hearing what generations had been longing and hoping for, but did not get to experience. We also, are at an extraordinary and deeply transformational point in world events, just like they were. Now is the moment to pay attention! Now is the time that we might tell our children and grand children about in years to come: what we did, or didn’t do; how we made new and unexpected choices or changes to our lifestyle, how we took better care of the Earth and of each other.Jesus calls the disciples ‘blessed’. We too will be blessed by God as we both see and hear, and then act on what has been revealed to us!Revd Ylva
