My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, James 1:19 NIV
James was writing here to the twelve tribes of Israel, who were scattered among the nations. If you trace Israel's history back to about 1,000 years before this letter by James, you see how God warned the nation over and over again about sin but it would not listen. With Israel's sin came punishment, which was banishment. However, just as it is with God, his nature prevents him from forgetting his people. For me, I am engraved in the hollow of his palm, and nothing touches me without first touching him. That is the special relationship I have with God, and which I must do all I can to nurture and preserve it. God does not forget anyone; his love makes that impossible. However, he will keep warning about what the right priorities are, and if I will listen, I will enjoy all that God intends, and also have eternal life with Him, which is His ultimate. So, am I his child, totally surrendered?
Today's extract is for those who have identified themselves as part of the family of God, who also admit that God's instructions are for them. God wants me to listen more than I speak. If I really consider the human anatomy without any unusual characteristics, God gave each person two ears and one mouth. It means that I must listen twice as much as I can speak. It also means that I must learn that there is no way one mouth can speak of all that the two ears receive. God in his wisdom had designed the human body in this way. Listening is an art in patience and seeking to understand, not to prove a point. Listening tells people that you are interested in what they have to say, not what you want them to know. If all I want to do is force my point of view on people, I tell them I do not appreciate their viewpoint, and it is only my way that is right. That is not the way Christ in us would want to be represented.
At the heart of this charge is the last part of today's extract, which charges me to be slow to become angry. I believe this is key. It is anger that drives speech, action and reaction. It is anger that leads men to say words they regret later. It is anger that stops me from listening and to lash out at people, destroying relationships that may have been built over a number of years. By God's standards, a man who is able to control his temper is greater than the warrior who conquers a city. A man who is able to control his temper is a man who daily depends on God to help him. Efforts such as psychology, drugs and positive confession may help in some regards, but it is the Holy Spirit who is the Great Help, leading me to total submission to God and a full embrace of His grace. Am I that kind of person? God's time of favour is here.
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