Quick to Listen, Slow to Speak

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James 1:19-21                       
Audio file is at the end of this text. 

Here's advice that can turn failure to success, frustration to peace and strained relationships to happy ones.  James writes:

"Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and 

slow to become angry, because anger does not 

produce the righteousness that God desires." 

 The Message translation of this passage says:

"Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, 

and let anger straggle along in the rear.  

God's righteousness doesn't grow from human anger."

Imagine listening more than you speak!  Listening is hard for most people as most of us are selfish and we're thinking about our own problems or what we are going to say next as we "pretend" to listen to others.  When we listen, we are demonstrating that we truly care about the other person.  After listening carefully, we are in position to be helpful and encouraging to the other person.  Also, when we listen we learn.

James is not saying that we should not speak, he is saying that speaking should only follow a time of listening and learning from others.  

Getting angry over silly things like having to wait as a train passes is a complete waste of energy.  And, getting angry at the people in your life over silly little mistakes is unproductive.  However, there is a time to get angry.  

The leadership at Penn State should have been furious when they learned about a coach abusing young boys.  But,  no one got angry.  Everyone who knew anything about the reports pretended the evil deeds never happened.  Joe Paterno should have listened carefully to all of the facts then turned the guilty man over to the police so the legal system could do its work.  It is morally wrong to abuse children and we have laws in this country to protect children from predators.  Sadly, no one at Penn State got angry enough to protect the children. Of course we are to get angry but come to it slowly and carefully.

How do we keep ourselves in the mindset to listen a lot and speak a little and get angry only over the big things?  Verse 21 says, "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."

Immerse yourself in the word of God.  Read it, think about it, memorize it, hang around others who do this and you'll have what you need.  Putting into practice these three verses alone will save you from much heartache and pain.

11 4 2012 by Coliseum Place Baptist Church on Mixcloud

Sight and Sound Tempts

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James 1:12-18,  Mark 7:17-23                        
Audio file is at the end of this text. 
James, the brother of Jesus, writes with such confidence because he witnessed, over a 30-year period of time, perfection lived out.  He saw his big brother, Jesus, obey their parents, do his homework, help around the house and all the while keeping an upbeat, positive attitude.  James probably thought to himself that Jesus was an apple polisher--one of those kids who kissed up to the adults.

It took the death and resurrection of Jesus for James to realize that his brother was truly God.  Jesus was the one sent to stop history and change the hearts of men and women. What a great promise he gives us here in verse 12.  He says if we stick with Jesus, if we love Jesus, if we embrace Jesus and follow his example, we get a crown!

As Americans we're not used to seeing our leaders walk around with crowns on their heads but we use crowns to recognize achievement.  Friday night our homecoming queen received a crown and she looked beautiful in it.  It made her special; she stood out in the crowd.   This verse promises us if we are obedient, we get a crown and I don't think you have to wait until you get to heaven for it.  A Christian who is walking with Jesus I think has a glow, an effervescence, a special appearance, don't you think?  So while we can count on literal crowns some day, you can have the glow of glory now.

When we fall away from Jesus and lose the glow of glory we tend to blame others.  Here James is saying: don't blame God.  God doesn't tempt us to do evil.  It is our own desire to get off the Jesus path that gets us into trouble.  It is the sights and sounds of evil that tempt us and so often these sights and sounds are so subtle that when you look back it almost seems like entrapment.  Ask yourself, "What situations do I put myself in?  Am I bringing on my problems by being in the wrong place, by looking at the wrong Web sites, by listening to the wrong music or the wrong people?"

Verse 14-15 reads, "Each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.  Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown gives birth to death."

Sin creeps in due to our laziness and low standards.  We must be careful what we look at and what we listen to.  Jesus says in Mark 7:21-23, "For it is from within, out of a person's heart, that evil thoughts come---sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander. arrogance and folly.  All of these evils come from inside and defile a person."

James throws up a big red flag and calls us out.  He teaches us not to blame anyone for our sins.  We are to look inside our own heart and remember that nothing evil comes from God and that, "every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights."

10 28 2012 by Coliseum Place Baptist Church on Mixcloud