Salty Freshwater?

James 3:9-12
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

I like the way James challenges us in this passage. A spring is characterized by the type of water that flows from it. You can go up to a spring, drink the water, and clearly distinguish what kind of spring it is. It's quite obvious which one it is because saltwater and freshwater are opposites. The two cannot coexist in the same spring. You either have one or the other.

The same should be the case with our words. From the way you talk and the things that you say, can people tell that you're a Christian? Last year, I had an awkward TA for one of my classes. My friends and I would sit in the back and crack jokes and complain about her all the time. If you were to ask them if I was a Christian, their response would be a no. The words that were coming out of my mouth were no different than theirs and yet I claim to be a follower of Christ. I knew this full well and yet there was something comforting about ragging on a TA that handed out low scores so I continued. I placed my desire before God's and it reflected in my speech. Matthew 15:18 says that "the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean'". Here lies the root of my problem: my heart.

What comes out of my mouth reflects what is on my heart. This furthers the importance of meeting with God everyday and looking for Him to continually teach me. There is no room in my heart to fill it with pluralism.