James, the brother of Jesus who wrote this epistle stressed a lot about having a real walk with God and not just having a mere religion. He encouraged us to walk the talk. He covered quite extensively regarding how to live out our faith in the midst of trials and how not to show favoritism in church. He rebuked the rich for oppressing the poor. All these attitudes actually affect how we communicate with others. It is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth will speak.
Recently Naomi Osaka pulled out of the French Open tournament citing her struggles with bouts of depression. Prior to the report of her withdrawal on BBC, it was reported that she was hurt by comments that she always performs poorly on clay courts and the post-match interviews did not help with her mental health. High performance athletes face a different kind of stress. They are expected to perform and maintain a high standard. There are high expectations from the sponsors and the fans. They have to keep themselves physically fit and mentally focused on each and every match. In fact, they need to shut off all distractions before the match in order to be focused. What we are not aware of, is that negative words get stuck in our minds and they are not good for our morale. The above situation is a classic example of the power of negative words. It is especially true when we hear these words from people who mean a lot to us. Unfortunately, social media can be a very powerful tool to destroy someone because of the unkind comments that are posted liberally. Some actresses have committed suicide over cyber-bullying. Words are loaded and powerful regardless whether they are spoken or written because they affect our soul. We should also remember that our loved ones are also highly stressed in the marketplace or at home therefore we must be careful not to add fuel to the fire with our words. We need to learn to speak words that encourage, edify and comfort someone. Our speech should be seasoned with salt, brings grace and gives strength to the hearer.
Let those who have not sinned with their words cast the first stone. No one is able to claim that they have never hurt others with their speech. We are all guilty. We are works in progress. Therefore, no one is able to cast the first stone.
Sermon Series: Ouch! It Hurts! (Part 2)
投擲第一块石頭
雅各书3: 8-12 惟独舌头没有人能制伏，是不止息的恶物，满了害死人的毒气。我们用舌头颂赞那为主、为父的，又用舌头咒诅那照着神形像被造的人。 颂赞和咒诅从一个口里出来！我的弟兄们，这是不应当的！ 泉源从一个眼里能发出甜苦两样的水吗？ 我的弟兄们，无花果树能生橄榄吗？葡萄树能结无花果吗？咸水里也不能发出甜水来。
这封信的作者耶稣的兄弟雅各在此强调基督徒真正与神同行的重要性，而不是仅仅将之当作一种宗教信仰。他鼓励我们做到言行一致。在信件中他涵盖了广泛的内容，包括如何在试炼中活出我们的信仰，以及在教会中做到不偏不倚的态度。他也斥责那些压迫穷人的权贵。这一些态度都实实在在地影响着我们与人的互动交流。因为心里所充满的，口里就说出来。
最近，日本职业网球选手大坂直美因患上忧郁症而退出了法网公开赛。 在英国广播公司BBC发布她退赛的消息之前，就有报导指出她因为一些关于她在红土场地上总是表现不佳的评论而深受伤害，加上赛后采访对她的心理健康也没有帮助。绩优运动选手面临着与众不同的压力，赞助商还有球迷对她们寄予很高的期待，同时也希望她们持续维持在这样一个高水准的表现中。 因此，面对每一场赛事，她们都必须保持身体的健康以及精神的专注。为了达到这样的专注，在比赛前，她们都需要阻断所有一切会令她们分心的事物。然而，通常很容易被忽略的，是消极的话语对我们带来的影响力：萦绕在脑海当中，使得士气低迷。上述的这个情况，就是一个很好的例子。我们尤其会在意那些我们所重视的人所说出的话语。人们在社群媒体上享有言论发表的自由，不幸的是，也因为这个自由，让许多人恣意表达的观点成为伤害他人的利器。有女演员因为网路霸凌而自杀。语言是带有能力的，不论是用嘴表达或者是以文字描述，他们都能穿透人的灵魂。因此，我们也需要注意，意识到我们所爱的亲人可能在职场上或家庭里承受着巨大的压力，所以就要谨慎言语，莫要火上浇油。我们需要学习说安慰、造就和劝勉的话。言语要常常带着和气，好像用盐调和（歌罗西书4:6），为听者带来恩慈和力量。
让那个不曾在言语上犯罪（使人受伤）的人先投掷第一块石头！
然而，没有人能够声称自己从未以言语对他人造成过伤害！我们都有罪，我们都仍在成圣的过程中，没有人能够投出这第一块石头！
讲章系列：哎呦！好伤人啊（第二部分）