Glimpses of a personal knowledge of God learned through a lifetime with Him…shared in love with joy.
Luke 6:22 (NAS) Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and cast insults at you, and spurn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man.
Spock of “Star Trek” would say this is illogical. I am to be happy if people hate me? The answer is yes if it is “for the Son of Man’s sake. Beloved, remember that you have the Holy Spirit to help bring you joy in these situations and all of heaven standing behind you.
James 3:8-10,13
8 But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.
9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God.
10 From the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.
No one can tame the tongue even though it is put in a cage behind teeth and lips. Only by abiding in Christ, walking with Him daily, can the tongue be tamed by the Holy Spirit. But Christians can quench the Holy Spirit and allow a poison of hate to flow from their tongue and grievous gossip. The tongue hurts the very people Christ died for.
Remember what Christ said in Acts 9:4. “Sau, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” So, if we do something to another Christian, we do it to Jesus Christ. They are one with Christ.
Back in James 3. I love verse 13. “Who among you is wise and understanding. Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.”
Beloved, gentleness means power under control, spiritual control. Wisdom is measured by deeds and applying truth to life while being humble.