Be Swift To Hear But Slow To Speak

Devotion for Wednesday July 25, 2018

Sing A&M 194 (Abu 177) – Jesus Meek And Gentle

Topic: Be Swift To Hear But Slow To Speak

Text: James 1:19 – 20

According to Rick Warren “God gave you two ears and one mouth. He wants you to listen twice as much as you speak. But we get in a hurry. What you need to do is try to understand the perspective of other people. Don’t just look at the situation from your point of view”. St. Francis of Assisi also said that “people should seek to understand before seeking to be understood.” James enjoined believers to cultivate the habit of thinking before acting and not just responding to situations emotionally or impulsively. In life it has been observed that nothing done in anger has ever given a good result and so it is always not pleasant at the end when you respond to a situation without giving a serious thought to it. One thing God require from those who profess Christ is self-control and it is one of the fruit of the spirit. I once read a story about a man who at point of stoning his wife hit his only son which rendered the innocent boy permanently brain damaged and the family living in perpetually sorrow because of that. Anger doesn’t solve anything. It builds nothing, but it can destroy everything. All of us can be angry and sometimes have been. It can come when things don’t turn out the way we want. It might be a reaction to something which is said of us or to us. We may experience it when people don’t behave the way we want them to behave. Perhaps it comes when we have to wait for something longer than we expected. We might feel angry when others can’t see things from our perspective. There seem to be countless possible reasons for anger. Ephesians 4:26 charges us to be angry but do not sin. It means we should have self-control. By that we will not sin against God or offend man because of our anger.

Food for Thought: He who angers you conquers you so choose not to be conquered, choose not to be angered – Elizabeth Kenny.

Memory Verse: James 1:19

Prayer: O God, my heavenly father, help me to develop self-control in every situation no matter how devastating it may seem.