James 1:18-21 – Calm down, shut up and pay attention
Seems like a practical approach but its too practical. So here is a practical solution.
Pick one, any one…and then do it. It doesn’t matter which one you pick, they all do the same thing in a practical way.
Its not me anyone else but God telling us all to calm down, shut up and pay attention.
Superficially it appears that I am tell you this but in reality it is God tell you to calm down, shut up and pay attention – vs 19
So the more we calm down, are slower to speak and slower to wrath (anger) the more we can hear the implanted Word of God in our hearts and lives.
Conversely the less we pay attention, the faster we are to speak and faster we get angry, the less we hear of God’s Word in our hearts.
So calm down:
Slow to wrath we all know that. It is a smart thing to do. It is a desirable quality.
1 Chronicles 12:32 – the sons of Issachar
“Of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, 200 chiefs, and all their kinsmen under their command.”
Wrath or anger will never produce the righteousness of God in our lives. Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness. But we have the seek this first and not our own emotions of anger
So shut up:
James doesn’t say never speak, he say be slow to speak. The degree to which you are talking is the exact degree to which you are not listening.
James wants us to pay attention (vs 19) and be quick to listen.
Eccl 5:1-3
“Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. For a dream comes with much business, and a fool’s voice with many words.”
Proverbs 17:28
“Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise;
when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.”
Close mouth – its that simple!
To get this to work, it requires a longterm focus and not a short term focus – “Dumbo the flying elephant”
Pay Attention:
Vs 19 – “let everyone man be swift to hear”
Being swift to hear is actually very active even though it doesn’t appear that way. Listening doesn’t appear to be an action but in reality it requires more attention and action in order to listen.
Being angry and just talking is just natural and just happens. Listening requires more skill and action and discipline.
Be swift to hear is not about listening to a sermon in half the time. It’s about an attitude, not a passive attitude. You have to pay attention to listen.
Compassion , concern desire – that is what being swift to hear is all about. This is what we find on the inside when we analyse a listening person.
Being swift to hear will naturally cause us to be slow to speak and slow to anger.
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