My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,
The old proverb holds true in regards to this scripture. God gave us one mouth and two ears because he wanted us the listen twice as much as we talk. James 1:19 however is dealing with more than words. The subject is anger not communication. The implication of the passage is that if we will listen instead of talking we will avoid the type of angry that leads to sin.
Ralph Nichols spent his life trying to improve the way that people listen. He said, "The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them." He believed that listening could be taught. The scriptures frame listening as a command. When a Christian listens, all of their being should be involved. What I mean by this is that all of our mind, spirit and soul should be engaged in each human encounter. We have to listen for affect. The field of psychology defines affect as, “observable behavior that represents the expression of a subjectively experienced feeling state (emotion). Common examples of affect are sadness, fear, joy, and anger.” Another term that we could apply to listening is empathy. Empathy is “understanding of another's feelings: the ability to identify with and understand somebody else's feelings or difficulties.”
We are less likely to become angry with another person if we can enter their world and see things from their perspective. It does not mean you have to agree with their perspective. It also means that you do not have to convince them of your perspective. Understanding follows listening as faith follows believing. Let’s consider verse James 1:20
because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
If I humbly accept the word that has been planted in me, I will trust God. I will trust him to grant the other person the wisdom that I am very sure that I already possess. If I grow in humility and obey the command to listen I may find that God is teaching me through the other person’s words. If I apply faith to that moment. The evidence of this faith is following the command to listen. To do otherwise rejects the word of God. It leads to evil because I have determined to communicate through the flesh and not through the spirit.
When we are slow to speak we allow the Holy Spirit to fill our mouth with words of wisdom and knowledge that benefit us and the hearer. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. You will not have the word of God if you disobey his command and talk too much.
Nehemiah chapter two provides us a wonderful example of listening with empathy and spiritually. King Artaxerxes was a man that could listen empathically despite his high position. His body guard and cup bearer Nehemiah was sad and depressed. The King cared for his servant and askef Nehemiah his problem. The scriptures tell us that Nehemiah was afraid, but he was also slow to speak. Before he opened his mouth he prayed. He listened, and then God spoke through him. The words that he spoke flowed through him and lead to the restoration of the Nation of Israel. The King asked specific questions and listened. He granted his servant favor. Each man spoke when he should and each man listened when he should, then God will was manifested. Lao Tzu said, A Chinese philosopher not far removed in time from Nehemiah said "Silence is a source of great strength."
That strength is powerful enough to overcome anger and leads to the righteous life that God desires. James 1:22.
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
If we want to be free from fleshly responses that lead to anger and unrighteousness we need the freedom that only the word of God can give us. We need to stare at it, “look intently” as verse twenty-five says.
Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
The other consequence that results from our obedience to listening is self awareness. When you listen you remember who you are, empathy and spiritual awareness often flow from our own experience. We don’t exasperate our teenagers because we remember when we were teenagers. We are more patient with those that are stressed because we remember when we were stressed. We are gentle and spiritual with those that sin, because staring intently at the law that brings liberty reminds us that we are vulnerable to personal failure and sin as well.
God is Faithful to His Word
The old proverb holds true in regards to this scripture. God gave us one mouth and two ears because he wanted us the listen twice as much as we talk. James 1:19 however is dealing with more than words. The subject is anger not communication. The implication of the passage is that if we will listen instead of talking we will avoid the type of angry that leads to sin.
Ralph Nichols spent his life trying to improve the way that people listen. He said, "The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them." He believed that listening could be taught. The scriptures frame listening as a command. When a Christian listens, all of their being should be involved. What I mean by this is that all of our mind, spirit and soul should be engaged in each human encounter. We have to listen for affect. The field of psychology defines affect as, “observable behavior that represents the expression of a subjectively experienced feeling state (emotion). Common examples of affect are sadness, fear, joy, and anger.” Another term that we could apply to listening is empathy. Empathy is “understanding of another's feelings: the ability to identify with and understand somebody else's feelings or difficulties.”
We are less likely to become angry with another person if we can enter their world and see things from their perspective. It does not mean you have to agree with their perspective. It also means that you do not have to convince them of your perspective. Understanding follows listening as faith follows believing. Let’s consider verse James 1:20
because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
If I humbly accept the word that has been planted in me, I will trust God. I will trust him to grant the other person the wisdom that I am very sure that I already possess. If I grow in humility and obey the command to listen I may find that God is teaching me through the other person’s words. If I apply faith to that moment. The evidence of this faith is following the command to listen. To do otherwise rejects the word of God. It leads to evil because I have determined to communicate through the flesh and not through the spirit.
When we are slow to speak we allow the Holy Spirit to fill our mouth with words of wisdom and knowledge that benefit us and the hearer. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. You will not have the word of God if you disobey his command and talk too much.
Nehemiah chapter two provides us a wonderful example of listening with empathy and spiritually. King Artaxerxes was a man that could listen empathically despite his high position. His body guard and cup bearer Nehemiah was sad and depressed. The King cared for his servant and askef Nehemiah his problem. The scriptures tell us that Nehemiah was afraid, but he was also slow to speak. Before he opened his mouth he prayed. He listened, and then God spoke through him. The words that he spoke flowed through him and lead to the restoration of the Nation of Israel. The King asked specific questions and listened. He granted his servant favor. Each man spoke when he should and each man listened when he should, then God will was manifested. Lao Tzu said, A Chinese philosopher not far removed in time from Nehemiah said "Silence is a source of great strength."
That strength is powerful enough to overcome anger and leads to the righteous life that God desires. James 1:22.
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
If we want to be free from fleshly responses that lead to anger and unrighteousness we need the freedom that only the word of God can give us. We need to stare at it, “look intently” as verse twenty-five says.
Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
The other consequence that results from our obedience to listening is self awareness. When you listen you remember who you are, empathy and spiritual awareness often flow from our own experience. We don’t exasperate our teenagers because we remember when we were teenagers. We are more patient with those that are stressed because we remember when we were stressed. We are gentle and spiritual with those that sin, because staring intently at the law that brings liberty reminds us that we are vulnerable to personal failure and sin as well.
God is Faithful to His Word
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