WEEKLY WORD

Continuing Thought for the WEEK – [5.14.21]

James 1:19-20: My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

CONTINUING THOUGHT for the Week:

To do something slowly means one thing and to do something quickly means another thing. However, there may be times where we need to be quick about being slow, especially when it concerns talking and listening. As we look at the passage in James chapter one for the last time this week, I want to remind you one more time that it tells us to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to get angry. In one of my bibles the subheading of this section says, “Qualities needed in trials.” Now that gives a whole new perspective to this passage! In other words, James is saying, “When you are really going through it, really feeling the fire, really feeling pressured, really feeling tested, really feeling the strain… BE QUICK TO LISTEN, SLOW TO SPEAK and SLOW TO GET ANGRY! Wow! What a great reminder! Now lets look at these the words quick and slow, individually. First of all, James tells us to be quick to listen. Some translations even use the word swift. The Greek word here is taxus– which actually means to be prompt or to be ready. The word prompt carries with it the sense of being timely or moving to action in a quick and timely manner. It would mean that when you listen it should be in a manner that starts quickly at the beginning, with sole intention to hear what someone is trying to say. Secondly, James tells us to be slow to speak and slow to become angry. The word slow in the Greek is: Bpadus. It means dull in the sense of apprehension and slow when it comes to believing something.  It means to be deliberately slow or to be slow on purpose. So, here’s my closing thought on this passage in James chapter 1: When you feel strained, pressured or you fee like your faith is being tested… 1. Be quick (deliberately prompt and attentive) to listen. 2. Be slow (be sluggishly unwilling on purpose) to speak. 3. Be slow (lacking in readiness to participate) to become angry. Remember, human anger doesn’t produce the righteousness that God desires!

Prayer: Lord, help me to be quick to listen and to be slow to speak. May I glorify you by what I say and through what I listen to. In Jesus name, Amen.   

MAIN THOUGHT for the Week:

• The words silent and listen are spelled with the same letters, just in a different order.
• It is difficult to hear what someone else is saying when you are talking!
• You can be silent and not listen and you can talk without thinking!
• You can’t take back what you have said- after it has been spoken!