UNCOMMEN: Uncommen Words Of Husbands, Dads, & LeadersSample

[Illustrations included in this devotional are not visible in this view. Illustrations are only supported in the Bible App for iOS, Android, and at Bible.com] Day 1 - Uncommen Words James 3:9 - "With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness."   I’m sure you’ve heard of “The Ugly American” right? He’s the person who visits another country and acts all kinds of ignorant while representing America. People look at him/her and lump all of Americans to what he/she is doing.   I’m here to talk about “The Ugly Christian”. This is the person who has come to know Jesus as their savior but has now turned their attention to others. This is the person who is humble at church or maybe even in person but acts like a complete fool on social media toward everything and everyone they disagree with. They post one day about how much love they have toward the things God loves and then curse people the next ten posts.   This person is just what James is talking about when he says, “We praise our Lord and curse human beings, WHO HAVE BEEN MADE IN GOD’S LIKENESS”. The very people whom you and I curse are the very people God has made.   Not only are you killing your own testimony by acting this way, but I’m sure God is going to have a little talk with you at some point about this.   We are not all going to agree on everything, but we can agree that God has created all of us, and when you are cursing another person, you are cursing something that is wonderfully made by God. You can choose to use your tongue to raise up or tear people down. Many times we tear people down because we are trying to make ourselves feel better. It's important to speak the truth, but it's also important to speak it in a Godly manner that reflects the love and mercy of a God who loved you enough to die on a cross while we were all still sinners. Watch your words; be true to God; and love people   Questions:   Do you praise and curse in the same breath? Do you think you are ruining your testimony with the way you communicate with people? What can you change to help you reflect God better?   Challenge: Evaluate the way you speak in-person and online. Understand you are representing God, and while He wants you to speak the truth, if you can’t do it without coming across as a fool, He may want you to just stop talking. About the Author & Designer: Tj Todd is the CEO / Creative Director at Studio490 based in Charlotte, NC and the Creative Director and Web Designer for Uncommen.org