Daily Affirmations - Day 7 - Image-Bearers: Root Cause and Accountability

Day 7: Root cause and accountability

For my words I take His wisdom

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be (James 3:9-10).

O Lord, from the beginning of human history, You showed us the value You assigned to humans, breathing Your own breath of life into mere dust (Genesis 2:7). And after the flood, You described to Noah and his family the highest level of accountability required of whoever sheds human blood... for in the image of God has God made mankind (Genesis 9:6).

The Lord Jesus was to further show us that murder is an issue of the heart, and that other issues in our heart could come from the same root cause and demand the same level of accountability:

“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell" (Matthew 5:21-22).

In light of the words of Jesus we can fully grasp the apostle James' warning against cursing human beings who have been made in God's likeness (James 3:9). James' warnings about the tongue also support and reinforce the wisdom You gave us when You taught us that the tongue has the power of life and death (Proverbs 18:21).

It is no wonder the apostle was also to teach us that whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it (James 2:10). We may esteem our adherence to the command not to murder, but yet be guilty of destroying humans made in God's image with cruel, critical, devaluing, and denigrating words.

Lord, You instruct us, Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it (Proverbs 4:23). Help us to examine our hearts. Keep us from the sin of cursing, slandering, and destroying with our tongues humans who have been made in Your likeness.

Keep us from the hypocrisy of spouting both sweet and bitter (James 3:11 - KJV)— the contradiction of offering praises to God out of the same mouth that slays those He created. In this world of vitriol, short fuses and contagious, combative, conflict, may we seek Your help as David did, with the constant prayer:

Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil so that I take part in wicked deeds along with those who are evildoers… (Psalm 141:3-4).

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