READ: Ezekiel 35,36; Psalms 140; James 1
SCRIPTURE: James 1: 19 My dear
brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen,
slow to speak and slow to become angry,
20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.
OBSERVATION: In India, some
people observe Maunavrata (vow of silence) for a fixed period to find
inner strength, willpower, and resist any worldly attractions. Usually, they
would seclude themselves from others and will not communicate verbally with
anyone to practice their vow of silence. However, soon after their Maunavrata
is over, they would live as they used to be. Such ascetic practices may give
some benefits, but they are temporal. In
James 1:19, we read three principles that Christians mention frequently. There
is no doubt that if they are practiced in our daily life, they will give great
benefits. However, many of us fail to see this verse in context. Concerning the attitude of receiving the Word
of God, James primarily writes these three exhortations to those who were born
again by the word of truth. Some scholars believe James 1:19 presents an
outline of the entire letter: swift to listen (Jas.1:21-2:26; slow to speak (Jas.3:1-18);
slow to become angry (Jas.4:1-5:18). These three principles help us to receive
the word of God if we follow them properly.
In Proverbs, one of the Old Testament
wisdom books, we see many verses that warn the dangers of unbridled words and
tell the benefits of constrained speech (Pro.10:19; 13:3; 17:28; 29:20). An
ancient saying goes, “God has given us two ears and one mouth so that we must
listen more and speak less.” When we read the bible, do we listen to God? Do we
rush to finish the day’s reading portion or pay attention to what God says to
us? Both what we hear and how we listen are equally important to God (Mk.4:24;
Lk.8:18). As Warren Wiersbe says, “Just as the servant is quick to hear his
master’s voice, and the mother to hear her baby’s smallest cry, so the believer
should be quick to hear what God has to say.”
People are impatient to listen to
others. Instead of listening, they either try to speak or think about what to
speak. We should know that when everybody speaks, nobody listens. While
praying, many Christians do not listen to God or wait on God to speak with them.
We all need to listen to God more than we speak with him. People get angry when
they feel their voice is not heard or when the word of God confronts their sinful
nature. Pastor David Guzik says, “Much of our anger and wrath comes from being
self-centered and not others-centered.” When we learn to be “swift to listen”
and “slow to speak,” we become slow to anger. The bible does not say that we
should not anger, which is a human expression of emotion. In Eph.4:26-27, Paul
says, “In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still
angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” When our angry becomes an act of
the flesh, it will prevent us from entering the Kingdom of God (Gal.5:20,21).
In essence, this passage (Jas.1:19-20) tells us that we should be open-hearted to receiving the
word of God.
APPLICATION: I should not
neglect God’s word. God wants to speak with me every day. He speaks through the
bible. When I open my bible, I must be open-hearted to listen to his words. When
God speaks with me, I will obey him without saying any excuses.
PRAYER: Loving God, thank
you for speaking with me through the bible. Lord, give me “a new heart and put
a new spirit in” me; Remove the “heart of stone” and give me “a heart of flesh”
to be sensitive to your words (Eze.36:26). Holy Spirit, open my heart to listen
to the Word of God and give me your strength to obey them. Amen.
- Arputharaj Samuel
+91 9538328573
Day – 323
(Tamil version of this devotion is posted here)
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