Above All… Watch your language when your life is troubled

Above All…

Watch your language when your life is troubled

 Did you know that swearing involves

more than bad language?

James tells us,

 Above all, my brothers,

do not swear

— not by heaven or by earth or by anything else.

Let your "Yes" be yes, and your "No," no,

or you will be condemned.

James 5:12 NIV

If we look at the context starting with verse 7,

James reminds us to be patient

and don’t grumble at each other.

He also reminds us of Job

and his suffering and patience.

James tells us,

“the Lord is full of compassion and mercy.”

Life doesn’t always go our way!

(I’ll bet that is a revelation to you.)

In fact, when it doesn’t go our way

it seems to not go our way

for longer than we think it should.

Look at Elijah,

it did not rain for 31/2 years.

When things don’t go our way,

we get impatient

and that is when we find ourselves tempted to swear.

Remember Job’s wife,

she said, “curse God and die.”

Job did not curse God,

but he did curse the day he was born.

And that did not make God very happy.

God formed Job in his mother’s womb.

God had a plan and a purpose,

a destiny for Job.

James reminds us to have patience above all things.

Job’s trial and suffering was great and long

and in the same breath James says,

“God is full of compassion and mercy.”

I have to confess when I get upset I say, “booger”

 and as bad as that is,

I sometimes get tired of life and wish it was over.

In the following verses,

James tells us what to do…

“PRAY”

When we swear - we forget God.

We forget God has a plan for us

and despite the suffering,

He is still full of compassion and mercy.

So above all your circumstances - don’t swear…

“PRAY”

Scripture Reading

James 5:7-20 NIV

7 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming.

See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop

and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains.

8 You too, be patient and stand firm,

because the Lord's coming is near.

9 Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged.

The Judge is standing at the door!

10 Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering,

take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

11 As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered.

You have heard of Job's perseverance

and have seen what the Lord finally brought about.

The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

12 Above all, my brothers, do not swear

 — not by heaven or by earth or by anything else.

Let your "Yes" be yes,

and your "No," no, or you will be condemned.

13 Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray.

Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.

14 Is any one of you sick?

He should call the elders of the church to pray over him

and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.

15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well;

the Lord will raise him up.

If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.

16 Therefore confess your sins to each other

and pray for each other so that you may be healed.

The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

17 Elijah was a man just like us.

He prayed earnestly that it would not rain,

and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.

18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain,

and the earth produced its crops.

19 My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth

and someone should bring him back, 20 remember this:

Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way

will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.