More listening, less talking, and be very careful about your temper
By Dean Collins
Aaron Burr gave young Alexander Hamilton some questionable advice, but his first pointer was sound: “Talk less and smile more.” In the first chapter of James the leader of the Jerusalem church gave somewhat similar advice: Be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. Hamilton would have done better, I suspect, if he had heeded the advice of James including the “slow to anger” part. In fact, we would all do better with both our relationships and our influence if we paid attention to what James said.
Even though it’s cute and over quoted, the phrase “God gave us two ears and one mouth “ apparently hasn’t helped us much. No matter what the topic or the medium of transmission, in our world there is far more talking and ranting than listening . And while listening more and better is very good advice, I think the directive from James also asks us to consider what we listen to and not just the quantity of our listening.
Quality
Earlier in chapter one of James we learn that God offers his wisdom to all who ask for it. As the letter continues, we learn that all good things come to us from our Heavenly Father who not only supplies every need but in Jesus brought us from death to life.
According to James it was God’s decision to bring us into existence at creation and, even better, to bring us to life by the Word of truth. John, one of the early disciples of Jesus, said the Word became flesh and dwelled with us. God spoke the world into existence and revealed himself in Jesus. And as a further gift he made possible that we would have access to the collection of letters and writings that make up the Bible.
We would do well to listen first and daily to the Word both written and made flesh in Jesus. We will be much less prone to rambling or to anger if we consume more Jesus and less media.
Action
James continued by reminding us that simply consuming words, knowledge, and facts from the Word and from the example of Jesus isn’t enough. The evidence of absorbing truth is doing truth. It is our actions that others notice. The goal isn’t that they notice us and celebrate our abilities and knowledge, but rather that the life of Jesus be evident to others by how we replicate the love of Christ. James called this love the royal law. Love sets us free, transforms us, and reveals Jesus to others.
Hearing and doing the Word also confirms that we understand who we are and whose we are. We won’t forget our identity, but instead we will practice sacrificial love, even to those the world is apt to forget.
Righteousness
Meanwhile, we are careful with our anger (James says “slow to anger,” not “don’t be angry.”) because human anger gets in the way of God’s righteousness. The more we develop God’s heart, the less we will be annoyed or frustrated with what others do and the more we will be intentional about doing the work that invites those around us to discover God’s love.
Lord, forgive us when our words and anger reflect that we have paid more attention to the world than you. Create in us a hunger for your Word and your life. We surrender our ears and minds to your truth and ask that you give us wisdom and guide us and our tongues to speak your life-giving Word to others. Restrain us when our flesh wants to attack others. Fill us with your Word daily that those we encounter may see our good works and glorify you. Amen.
Your time with God’s Word
James 1:19-27 ESV
Photo by Mohammad Metri on Unsplash
