The Wellspring of Life

A Series on the book of James
Taming the tongue
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
James 3:1-12 

[James is one of my favorite books of the Bible. In some ways, it’s similar to Old Testament wisdom literature like Proverbs. It includes many practical applications to help a believer grow in their faith. In this series, we will look at the wisdom of James’ letter and how it applies to our lives.]

  

Super Bowl LX is coming up in eight days and the hype for the commercials has already started. Not the least of these is a Budweiser ad featuring a galloping Clydesdale, a soaring bald eagle, and the music of Lynyrd Skynyrd.

 

Clydesdale horses are so majestic. My wife loves them. In 2018, we went to the Ohio State Fair, where they had a barn full of them. She was thrilled to see them up close and personal. And when you do, it’s impossible to imagine that a small metal bit can control a massive 2000-pound horse that is bred for heavy work.

 

James wrote his letter to Jewish Christians who had been scattered throughout the world. As a result, they were immersed in adverse conditions. In the previous chapter, he wrote about the importance of their deeds matching their faith. Now in this passage, he focused on their speech matching their faith.

 

To do this, James used a horse’s bit as a metaphor for the tongue. Just like a bit can control a horse, so the tongue can control a person. But there’s a problem. The tongue causes tremendous destruction both to the person and to others.

 

^5b But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. ⁶ And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.                                               NLT

 

The word used here for hell comes from the Hebrew word Gehenna and refers to the Hinnom Valley south of Jerusalem. This valley had been a burial ground used for burning the corpses of criminals and animals, as well as any kind of trash. But even more gruesome than that is the fact that it was also a place used for child sacrifices to the god of Molech.

 

So, to say that your tongue “is set on fire by hell itself” would bring a terrifying image to the mind of the people James wrote. But he wasn’t finished.

 

⁷ People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, ⁸ but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison.              NLT

James’s prognosis of the tongue is terminal. There’s no twelve-step program. We can’t fix it by sheer willpower. The problem with our tongue is that it’s an overflow of something deeper. According to Jesus, it’s an issue of the heart.

 

¹⁸ But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them.  NIV    Matthew 15

 

Therefore, to change your tongue, you need to change your heart. Only a renewed heart can produce pure speech. Here’s what the author of Proverbs advised his own children about this.

 

²³ Above all else, guard your heart,
for it is the wellspring of life.       NIV    Proverbs 4

 

To protect your heart means to guard your thoughts, emotions, and will. Because, like a small bit, it's the source that determines the course of your life.

 

Copyright 2026 Joseph B Williams

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If you’re interested, below is a link for the commercial with the Clydesdale.

 Clydesdale Super Bowl commercial

 

Spinning out of Control

A Series on Lent
Jesus is arrested, tried and sentenced
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
John 18:28-19:16 

[Lent is a 40-day season of personal reflection through prayer, fasting and giving in order to prepare your heart to celebrate the Lord’s Resurrection at Easter. We will be following Jesus through the Gospel of John as he enters Jerusalem for Passover, and the ensuing events that led up to his trial, crucifixion and resurrection.]

 

Sometimes life can feel like it’s spinning out of control.

 

In 2020, my wife Debbie had a stroke. At first it didn’t seem too crazy because we didn’t know what was happening. But when Debbie couldn’t sit upright, I realized something was terribly wrong and called 911.

 

Although Debbie’s symptoms improved, the situation worsened. Every test made it scarier. Waiting made it scarier. Fear of the unknown made it scarier. Our life was spinning out of control.

 

The story of Jesus’ arrest, trial and sentencing reads the same way. It starts slow, picks up speed until it seems unstoppable as it spins out of control. Even Jesus seems to get caught up in it at the Garden of Gethsemane.

 

³³ He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. ³⁴ “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.”         Mark 14 NIV

 

Following Jesus’ arrest, he is interrogated by the chief priest and quickly taken to the Roman governor Pilate. The Jewish religious leaders intended for Jesus to be crucified and only Pilate could make that happen.

 

However, Pilate doesn’t find any reason to charge Jesus. So hoping to appease the Jews, he offers to let a prisoner go free. They choose Barabbas, a known murderer. 

Jesus is then flogged and abused by the Roman soldiers. Pilate once again tells the Jews he finds Jesus to be innocent. But after the flogging, the crowd smells blood in the water. They’re incensed. 

 

⁵ Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said, “Look, here is the man!” ⁶ When they saw him, the leading priests and Temple guards began shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”               NLT

 

For the third time, Pilate tells the Jews that he doesn’t find Jesus guilty of anything. Only then do the Jews confess to Pilate that Jesus has broken their law by claiming to be “the Son of God”. This terrified Pilate.

 

¹² From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.”         NIV

 

Sitting in his judgement seat, Pilate presented Jesus one final time saying, “Here is your king”. The Jews demanded that he be crucified, even proclaiming that they have “no king but Caesar”. Compelled by the Jews, Pilate hands Jesus over to be crucified.

 

When life is spinning out of control, we do everything we can to regain it. That’s what Peter did when Jesus was being arrested. He drew his sword and cut off the ear of the High Priest’s servant.

 

But Jesus knew that it was Friday and Sunday was coming. And when it did, the world would never be the same. Our world will never be the same… even when it’s spinning out of control.

 

Copyright 2023 Joseph B Williams

 

 

The Pieta is a sculpture created by Michelangelo. The link below is a rendition of the song Pieta by Joseph Martin and includes a dramatic dance presentation. I found this very meaningful and hope that you enjoy it.

 Pieta by Joseph Martin

 

What Does Your Desk Look Like?

2 Chronicles 20:1-30

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Chronicles+20%3A1-30&version=NIV;NLT

  

You can tell a lot about a person by their desk or work space or living area. For instance, my desk is almost always uncluttered and neat. Everything is in its place. You won’t find papers scattered all over my desk or a half-eaten sandwich stuffed in a drawer. Do you know why? Because it’s an attempt to control a small part of my world.

 

The story in 2 Chronicles 20 that surrounds verse 17 is about the struggle between trust and control. Early in the chapter, King Jehoshaphat learns that there is a “vast army from Edom” that is marching against them. His immediate reaction is to be terrified, but this leads him to “beg the Lord for guidance”.

 

The men of Judah begin praying. They plead for the Lord to rescue them based on the history of God’s work with Israel and on who God is – His promises, faithfulness, love and power. While praying, Jahaziel receives a word from the Lord. That word is “do not be afraid... for the Lord is with you”. Just trust Him.

 

It sounds easy, but it isn’t. Keep in mind, while the men of Judah are praying instead of preparing for battle, the mighty army from Edom is steadily marching towards them. Talk about trust and giving up control.

 

What the Lord said through Jahaziel was counterintuitive. There were no instructions to prepare for battle; no strategizing; no sharpening of swords. In fact, the only action to be taken was, “take your position; then stand still and watch. Watch the Lord’s victory”. Impossible for us as humans who need control.

 

We don’t like to trust others because it involves risk. And risk can result in failure, losing valuable resources, rejection or just plain looking bad. We prefer to keep control ourselves in an attempt to avoid the painful consequences of risk, and to gain power over our circumstances and people.

 

Our lives are like my desk. I try to control my life as much as I can so that everything has its place; everything is orderly. That way I know what to expect. Risk is minimized. But what about trusting the Lord? Where does that fit in with my orderly life? I frequently need to remind myself of Jahaziel’s word: “the Lord is with you” Joe.

 

What does your desk look like? Is it neat and orderly because you have control, or does God have control?

 

 

¹⁷ But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!”     NLT

 

 

 

 

 

But Really, It’s the Beginning

Matthew 24:22-31

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2024%3A22-31&version=NIV;NLT;GNT

  

One day this past week, just as I was leaving the office, the sirens went off. It was a tornado warning. We’d already had heavy rains accompanied by high winds. Now the sky was dark. The trees were still. It was all very ominous. But I wasn’t going to wait until 6:30 when the warning was supposed to be over.

 

During my drive home, I listened to the talk radio station. A local meteorologist was on the air. As the sirens were screaming to “run and hide”, he was warning everyone to “find your safe place”.

 

He went through the list. “If you have a basement, go there. If you don’t, go to a room without a window. And if you’re in your car”… you’re screwed. He didn’t really say that, but it’s what I thought.

 

He was on the air for over thirty minutes dispensing a message of fear; of impending disaster. Afterwards, the announcer on the following program shared how when he was a little boy he was so afraid of thunder that when he heard a loud clap, five seconds later he would throw up. It was like clockwork.

 

You’d think it was the end of the world. Maybe it was.

²⁹ “Immediately after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.          NLT

 

I’ve never been that interested in the “end times”. The guys who carry a sandwich board declaring the end of the world, are an oddity to me. It’s not that I don’t believe; it just seems irrelevant to right now. Following Jesus is difficult enough without worrying about something that’s been predicted since Jesus was on earth.

 

I think that the question to ask is, “Who is in control”? The answer is Jesus. Knowing that he is in control, makes life bearable; makes life meaningful; makes life hopeful. And when he does return, it will be apparent to all.

 

²⁷ For the Son of Man will come like the lightning which flashes across the whole sky from the east to the west... ³¹ The great trumpet will sound, and he will send out his angels to the four corners of the earth, and they will gather his chosen people from one end of the world to the other.   GNT

 THE END…

 

But really, it’s the beginning.

 

 

 

 

 

Chance Meetings

Exodus 3:1-12a

 (Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%203%3A1-12&version=NIV;TLB

 

What were your expectations for 2016? Whatever they may have been, no doubt you had some things happen that you didn’t expect. For me, one such event was meeting Tim.

 

The week before Christmas, during my lunch hour when I was trying to get home for a quick visit, I noticed that my car wasn’t handling properly. Upon inspection, it was apparent that the left front tire was almost flat. I drove to a nearby gas station only to find out that their air pump was out of order.

 

Frustrated and angry, I attempted to change the tire. After some time with little success, and with my head buried in the trunk as I struggled to pull the jack out, someone asked, “Do you need some help”? It was Tim.

 

For me, it was like an angel had been sent. During the course of changing my tire, Tim told me that he was homeless, but that the Lord was with him. When he had finished the job, I insisted on paying him even though he declined at first.

 

That “chance meeting” with Tim was an unexpected opportunity, for him and for me, to

help someone in need and to share the love of Christ. It helped me to be aware that “chance meetings” aren’t always by chance. In fact, God is in control and He can bring someone into my life in any circumstance; even a flat tire.

When Moses went up on Horeb, the mountain of God, he wasn’t expecting to find a burning bush, let alone one that God would use to communicate through to him. Was this unexpected event a “chance meeting” with God? I don’t think so.

 

God called Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. Moses was God’s chosen leader for this job; an unwilling one, but the one God chose through this “chance meeting”. Despite all the excuses that Moses came up with, it all boiled down to this statement that God made:

“I will be with you”.

 

That’s an important lesson for you and me to learn and to remember during 2017. No matter what our expectations are, God will have some “chance meetings” planned for us. The questions is, will we be ready for them? Tim was.

 

 

 

 

 

(If God has spoken to you through this devotional, please feel free to share it with others.)

 

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