Swift to hear, slow to react

James 1:19-20

This is a verse that has helped me a lot over the past year. I have found it very challenging, but it has helped me on numerable occasions. As Christians I believe that it can not only help us become more Christ like, but also help us as we share the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. This verse is easily broken down into 3 parts.

Be swift to hear

In the first part of this verse, James tells us to be quick to listen. Most importantly as Christians we should be swift to hear what God says. We should actively seek to hear the small still voice of the Lord talking to us through His Holy Spirit. We should also be quick to hear what God has to tell us through the Bible and hungry for His word.

As Christians we should be willing to listen to each other, to listen to others as they share their thoughts, worries, joy etc. We should be willing to hear them, and to pray for them. We must not be selfish. When other Christians share thoughts about God, their faith or on how we should be living as Christians we should listen, go away and pray and check what they have said against the word of God.

We should also be willing to listen to what non-believers say. We should listen to the things they are worried about, and pray for them. We should also listen to the questions they have about our faith, and be willing to think and pray about these questions.

Be slow to speak

James also tells us we must be slow to speak. So often someone will say something and we are eager to reply, whether it be to encourage or rebuke someone, or to defend our faith. But we should be slow to speak. Our words are nothing, whereas what God has to say is far better. Instead we should wait for God to tell us what to say; we should stop for a moment and wait for Him to lead us through the Holy Spirit. If He gives us nothing to say, then it is His will for us to say nothing at all – therefore the best thing for us to do is to stay silent. To often we open our mouths and say something which we immediately regret saying. Instead we should be “slow to speak”.

Be slow to anger

Thirdly, James tells us to be slow to anger. In our lives it is easy to get frustrated with others in all kinds of situations, maybe when we are driving, in the shops, at church or at home. However our anger is not going to produce righteousness. We should be meek and calm, not aggressive. Instead of losing our tempers, we should try to set an example to others. We should remember that we ourselves are sinful – therefore what right to we have to lose our temper at others? We should be angry at our own sin!

Pray that the Lord will help us all to be swift to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger, and ask Him to show us how to apply this verse to our own hears. We mustn’t nod in agreement and then go and live as though we had heard nothing.