The average human being spends about one-fifth of their lives talking. Within a year, men speak about 20,000 to 25,000 words per day. Women speak about 35,000 to 50,000. Our words are powerful. The tongue, a muscle, enables us to chew, swallow, and speak and indicates our physical health. Our tongues also reveal the state of our spiritual health.

In James 1:22-25, James expresses how important identity is. James was a half-brother of Jesus and was not counted as one of the disciples of Jesus. Although he was a late believer, he went all in when he decided to put his faith in Jesus. He pastored the first church in Jerusalem and was martyred for the gospel.

James is saying that we consider it pure joy when we face these trials. Joy is the expression of patience. How do you know if you are accessing the joy God has given to you? The answer is found in how patient you are. We can be joyful in our patience when we know that what we are going through is not forever.

What does it mean to be included in the family of God? Does anyone know what it’s like to be an outsider? Tamar was an outsider. In Genesis 38, we learn about Tamar’s story.