Side-by-side Shake??

Have you ever had a side-by-side shake from Steak-n-Shake?? The Banana/Strawberry is really good. I love Banana! Anyway, I wonder how they do that. I mean do they have some sort of machine that pours both flavors at once. Interesting.

It is interesting how the mind works sometimes. I was reading this morning in James (chapter 3:9-12) and what I read there made me think of food. Now you know!

James is talking about how we use our tongue in two ways (of course I am talking about what we say). In one moment, we will be praising God and in another we will curse humans. He then makes an interesting statement that brought me to what may be a crazy thought. He says, "can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?" Interesting question. Have you every thought about it?? Not me.

Because a spring flows from a body of water (called an aquifer) it can only produce what it comes from. The spring itself does not produce anything it is an overflow of its source. Therefor, if the aquifer is fresh water the spring from that aquifer will be fresh water. The same is true for a salt water spring. That makes sense to me. So how do I apply it? I am glad you asked.

As I think about this, it seems to me that if I use my tongue to tear down, maim or destroy I need to consider the source of that spring. Something is not right.

Luke 6:45
Good people bring forth good things out of the good stored up in their heart, and evil people bring forth evil things out of the evil stored up in their heart. For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.

Just as a spring is an overflow of an aquifer, our tongues (what we say) is an overflow of our hearts. So back to James, he says that we praise the lord and curse his created beings with the same tongue. And we do! He goes on to say, "My brothers and sisters, this should not be." And it shouldn't.

How does all this fit together?

I believe that I MUST take a very close, difficult look into what I say. If I am praising God in one sentence and destroying others the next. I should really really consider that I am making something up. I am faking something. And for me, it would be much easier to fake the praising of God than the tearing down of His created beings. Because of this, if I hear bitterness, deceit, slander and other bad things coming out of my mouth, it is coming from a heart that is filled with that stuff. It needs be drained and refilled with Him.

I pray that I would not make a side-by-side mess of what He intended to be flavored by Him alone.