TeaTime Devotional July 16th, 2025

Written By:   Tynema Highsmith

Scripture:            James 1:26 NLT

If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.

Testify:

I was raised in a time when the expectation was “Do as I say and not as I do”.   In this era, children rarely asked question of their parents, as it was considered a sign of disrespect.   Therefore, we did what we were told even if our parent’s actions contradicted their words.  Like many before me, I attempted to raise my children the same way.    That’s when I found out that this generation is different!!!!!    I mean like different stratosphere type different. They have difficulty grasping the same principle that my generation adhered to with no problem.   That’s when I learned a new principle “Actions speak louder than words”.   If we want to see this generation thrive, you have to show them better than you can tell them.   I learned something else about myself while comparing the differences between generations, the same principle is also exhibited in the lives of the communities of faith, where there can be a tendency to advice others to “do as I say, but not as I do”.  

Edify:

This scripture speaks volumes to the Do as I say but not as I do individuals.   James comes out the ring swinging as He tells the twelve tribes the importance to not only be listeners but also practitioners of God’s word.    It is common for people to claim salvation; however, their actions often fail to reflect this commitment. This scripture says that if you say that you are religious, you should be able to tell by the amount of control you have over your own tongue.    The saints should have a strong “SHUT UP” spirit, but instead we find that a lot of saints lack self-control.  James says in the message translation that your words are a bunch of hot air with good word game, but you are only deceiving yourself.    Therefore, in the words of Run DMC, the saints should be “Walk This Way, Talk This Way “, in my Aerosmith voice.   (Never heard it, look it up!!!!)   Or for the younger generation you should Walk it like you talk it.  

Apply:   

What kind of word game do you have?  If your game is weak, stop trying to control others, until you can control yourself.