August 20, 2004

Twice Is Once Too Many

With [our tongue] we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men. —James 3:9

Bible In One Year: Psalms 105-106; 1 Corinthians 3

When I begin to grade the papers from the students in my college freshman writing class, I'm rather lenient about correcting their mistakes, hoping I won't see the same errors again.

But when the next paper contains the identical mistakes, I begin to get a little irritated. I expect the students to learn from their errors and avoid them the next time. Usually, though, it doesn't quite work that way.

Sounds like our Christian life. The Lord patiently reminds us through the Holy Spirit's presence, for example, that we shouldn't say negative things about others. He tells us to be kind and compassionate instead of fault-finding and vindictive (Ephesians 4:31-32). But we sometimes slip back into our old habit of letting both "fresh" and "bitter" words come from our lips in our conversations about others (James 3:8-12).

With my students, I go back to the basics to erase old habits. We train. We review. We practice. We eliminate the errors.

The Lord patiently continues to work with us about the way we speak of other people. As we listen to His training, learn from our mistakes, and depend on His power, we'll grow and change. —Dave Branon

To be like Jesus—that's our goal,
Though it doesn't happen fast;
We trust the Spirit—He's our Guide,
Till we're glorified at last. —Branon

To put failure behind you, face up to it.