by Don Hatfield
teach others it is good. However, there is a price to be paid as there is with everything. We who teach will be judged by a higher standard. So if you teach others do it with a sense of humility always asking your Father and Savior for guidance. Always giving your Savior the credit for anything that His Spirit may have enlighten you with. Mark, in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word the same is a perfect man and able also to bridle the whole body. Do you ever feel that you offend people by the things you say?” I answered, “Yes, too much and too many times.” James smiled and said, “Behold we put bits in the horse’s mouth that they may obey us and we turn about their whole body.” I looked at James and ask, “What are you talking about James? You have confused me.” James chuckled and said, “Behold also the ships which though they be so great and are driven of fierce winds, yet they are turned with a very small helm, where so ever the governor listed.” He looked at me with an amused look on his face and chuckled second time. With this I also began to laugh and then we both burst into one of those I can’t say anything because when I try to I just start laughing again. We must have stood there laughing for a good ten minutes. I finally got some control and said, “What you said makes no sense whatsoever to me James. He again smiled and quietly said these words, “Even so the tongue is a little member and boast great things. Behold how great a matter a little fire kindles.” I must admit that I was embarrassed and I know it showed on my face because I could feel my cheeks flush. We walked in silence for a couple of minutes and then I said to James, “Guilty, I am guilty. It seems that I speak when I should be quiet and I am quiet when I should speak.” James in a kind voice said, “You are listening now Mark so let me go on. And the tongue is a fire a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members that it defiles the whole body and sets on the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. Fire spreads and the tongue spreads its own kind of fire. Tell me Mark after what I just said what kind of fire do you think the tongue spreads?” I thought about James words and this is how I answered, “It spreads iniquity and by that I mean it spreads unrighteousness. It spreads unrighteousness in my heart and it shows in my life. By spreading this it defiles and degrades me making me less than God would have me to be. The more it wags the more it can ignite it’s destructive influence.” I stopped and looked at James who had stopped in the middle of the road and was just standing there. I asked him what was wrong. He replied, “Mark, sometimes you astound me for that was an excellent answer. Now do not get to full of yourself but there are times when I see Gods wisdom shining in you.” I said, “Thank you James I am honored and humbled at the same time that you would say that. Please go on telling me about our Savior and what He would have us to do.” James then said this, “Every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents and of things in the sea is tamed and had been tamed of mankind. But the tongue can no man tame; it is and unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” I said, “I guess I never thought of it like that but that is so true. My father had a little dog and he had taught it to do so many little tricks and yet often he would get mad at us kids or my mom and began screaming and cursing us. I must confess however that I have done the same thing to others and what you said makes me ashamed.” James said, “Therewith bless we God even the Father; and therewith curse we men which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceeds blessing and cursing. My brother these things ought not to be so.” I knew James to be so right. Yet, I kept quiet for I knew that he had more to say. “Does a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can a fig tree my brethren bear olive berries? So can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh? Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.” James stopped talking and we just walked together in silence for about five minutes as his words sank into my heart. I knew what he was saying was right and I knew that often my mouth was wrong. I finally said, “James I know that you are right but how to perform that which is right I do not know. If you know will you share it with me?” It is amazing how our Lord works for James then said something that hit me right between the eyes. This is what he said, “But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts glory not and lie not against the truth. Mark, many people lie to themselves and they lie to themselves by blaming others. They blame others often for things and yet refuse to see that they also have part of the blame in matters. There are two sides to everything and often both sides have part of the blame. But instead of confessing their side of it they justify their part while being bitter towards the other party who is involved.” I realized how right he was for I had been angry for years at my former wife who had left me. I had blamed her for all the bad things that had happened in our marriage. Now as James talked I realized that I too had played just as big a part as she. I confessed my wrongs to my Savior right there on the Jericho road. It did not matter about her part any longer I only wanted to be right in my heart with my Father. Relief swept through me as I let all the bitterness that I had been justifying for years float off of me. With tears in my eyes I said, “Thank you James for being honest. Many have jumped on my side of this issue instead of telling me to look at my own heart and to get it right with my Savior.” James put his hand on my shoulder and said, “I am glad that the Lord has opened your eyes to see that justifying instead of confessing your wrongs is not of Him. This wisdom descended not from above but is earthly, sensual, and devilish. For where envying and strife is there is confusion and every evil work. When those actions are at work there is always a disturbance of order. We both know that is one of Satan’s greatest weapons. He wants to keep things in chaos so that believers cannot hear the Spirit’s quiet guidance. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits without partiality and without hypocrisy. Mark, I used a list of words there to describe wisdom. Tell me in your own words the meaning of them.” I realized that James was teaching me by making me stretch for the Spirit’s leading myself instead of having me just sit there and say nothing. This is how I answered him, “The word pure for me means that this wisdom is free from all faults. Because it is pure it brings with it peace to the soul. Because it brings peace it is gentle and suitable as it soothes my spirit. Because it is gentle it makes this wisdom easy to be entreated and easier to obey my Savior. Because it is easy to be entreated it open’s my eyes to the fullness of God’s mercy in providing salvation through our Savior Jesus. Because of this mercy this wisdom brings forth fruit or good works toward my fellow man. These works show no favoritism and are sincere when I do them.” I started to go on but I realized that James had stopped in the middle of the road and was staring at me. I asked what the matter was. He replied, “Again, my young believer you have astounded me with your answer. Your answer showed that it was from above and not from this earth. The Spirit was leading you as you answered.” I was also astounded for I realized that those words were more Gods than mine. For I knew that I was nowhere that articulate. Tears filled my eyes as I realized that God had actually spoken through this one who knew so little of Him. James then said something that I ask him to explain. These are his next words, “And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. Mark, the fruit of righteousness is integrity, virtue, purity of life, correctness in thinking and feeling. It is the condition that is approved of God. Part of that proof is that it is sown or scatter in peace by those who by God’s grace live in His peace.” After James said this although I was thrilled that God had enlighten me by His Spirit I had begun to also see that I had long way to go before maturity.
Over on the left side of the road there was a small house in the front yard of one of the houses two men were yelling at each other. From where we were I could not make out what they were arguing about but it was a very heated discussion. To my surprise and dismay James turned and headed towards them. I grabbed him by the arm but he shook it off and continued in thei
r direction. I had no choice but to follow. As we approached both men stopped and glared at us as if to say why you are intruding. As James approached he said, “Hello my fellow believers who believe in our wonderful Savior the Lord Jesus Christ.” Both men’s mouths dropped opened as they stared at James. Finally, one them spoke and said, “How did you know?” James said, “I could sense it even though both of you were not living in the Spirit.” We talked for a while not mentioning the brothers argument. They told us that their names were Levi and Jacob. They invited us in for a cool drink and a bite to eat and we graciously accepted. Finally Levi confessed that they had been arguing over what to have for supper. He wanted the leg of lamb while Jacob only wanted fish. It wasn’t that they could not have had both. It was because they both wanted to use their cooking utensils at the same time. They both said that they were embarrassed now that we had come and found them in such a heated