Monday... Yes, we want to be perfect.

James 3:2 (NLT), "Indeed, we all make mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way."

Monday... Yes, some want perfection.

Being a perfectionist is a difficult life to live and to live with. It seems that we are always making mistakes.  

James in his letter in the New Testament of the Bible gives some good advice.  In 3:2 (NLT) he writes, "Indeed, we all make mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way."

Now it is important for us realize it is almost impossible to not make mistakes and for sure we need to accept that those around us will make mistakes and how we handle them doing that is so very important. So many are so hard to live with because they demand perfection from others and from themselves. 

Now perfectionists are into controlling those around them and controlling themselves. And that is no fun.

My dad had so many good phrases that he lived by and that he shared. One that is so good is that "Too high expectations brings about frustration." And that is so true.

James says, "Indeed we all make mistakes" but he doesn't stop there. He goes on, "For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way." Now it is so important to see that we cannot control each other but we can work hard at controlling ourselves by controlling our tongue. 

In verses 3-5a in The Message says, "A bit in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse.  A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest wind. A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything - or destroy it!" 

Verse 5b-6 says, "It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that, By out speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke from the pit of hell."

Yes, the power of our tongue. Verses 9-10 (NLT) says, "Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth." 

Now this is important. Verses 13 says, "If you are wise." Where do we get wisdom? James 1:5a says, "If you need wisdom, ask out generous God and he will give it to you." Verse 13 goes on, "If you are wise and understand God's ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom." Which comes from God.

Verse 17-18 says, "But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times and willing to yeild to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and it is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness."

Yes God's wisdom is the key and it will flow out of our mouth and our actions. Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning