James 1: 19-25
(19) Know this, my beloved brethren: everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger;
(20) for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.
The art of listening needs to be learned by us all. We must be able to listen to one another, and especially to hear what God is saying to us in His word. This is essential to put all the parts together into a godly lifestyle.
And if we're too quick to speak, then we may not have thought through the concepts being discussed, or we may miss what someone else may contribute to our understanding.
Especially if we disagree with what someone said. Then we need to listen more closely to their thoughts to find some common ground. When we react too quickly, we may act rudely to the person, and disrespect their standing in the group. This is not loving one another.
Our human anger often springs from our own self-importance, and is seldom a "righteous anger." Even if it arises in response to some disrespect or disregard of God's ways, it is still dangerous for us. To speak out against injustice and deceit requires great discernment and grace on our part.
Anger may spur us on to righting a wrong, but we must be careful with it, because human anger tends not to promote God's love. We are responsible for loving one another, not judging each other. God's wrath will fall upon all the unrighteousness, we can trust that to Him.
Too often our anger will lead us into doing something that is not charitable or encouraging, but harmful and destructive. And even prideful or spiteful.
(21) Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness,
We are to cleanse our minds of all dirty or unloving thoughts by washing them out. Replace them with godly, loving, righteous thoughts. Get rid of every residue of the attitudes we used to have before we were saved.
in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.
Let God's word be implanted in your thinking processes and attitudes. Plant them deep in your mind, to grow into new, charitable and loving attitudes toward one another. Let Scripture so fill your thoughts that they crowd out all the old, sinful, evil thoughts.
The word for soul here is psuche, which refers to a concept between our immortal soul and the basic life force, so it is our "sentient principle only." This means that our rational thinking processes can be washed out, cleansed from all the harmful and destructive thoughts by replacing them with Scripture, to save your soul.
(22) But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
(23) For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer,
But just to know Scripture and memorize verses and think godly thoughts all day is not yet living a godly life. Don't lie to yourself by thinking that this is enough. We must also do something, put into practice all these Scriptures we're studying. We don't want to "sit, soak, and sour." The Dead Sea is dead because it constantly takes in but never lets anything flow out.
We must put into practice the concepts we are learning. We must get up off our duffs and do something. We need to open our eyes to see one anothers needs so we can benefit each other, using our resources to meet their deficiencies.
he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;
(24) for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.
This is like looking at yourself in your bathroom mirror, noticing that your hair is a mess, but instead of picking up your comb, you're called away by a phone call, and you forget about combing your hair. Then you go all day without another thought for your hair, but everyone else sees it. You've just suffered a "bad hair day." We don't want to do that spiritually.
(25) But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer,
So, when we don't let ourselves be distracted, but continually keep godly principles on our mind; then when life happens, we will have godly ways ready to live out, instead of worldly ways.
this man will be blessed in what he does.
The one who can do this will be successful in what he does in life, cooperating with the way God designed it all to work out.
O my Father, Your wisdom guided you in creating everything you made (Proverbs 8: 22-30). To know You, Father God, is to begin to have wisdom, and this wisdom is our guide to success in whatever we endeavor.
Father, teach us Your wisdom, show us how to apply Your wisdom to everything we do in life, and in all our relationships and dealings with one another.
O Father, grant us to know how to apply Your ways to our practical, day-by-day life, in all the ordinary things that fill our days. Keep our thoughts on Your ways continually, to have them ready in the crunch, to not react in our flesh, but to habitually reach into our spirit for Your strength, wisdom and righteousness.
And grant us success in what we do, Father. Help us to successfully apply Your ways and live according to Your plan for each of us, to successfully accomplish everything You set before us to do, and promote Your Kingdom here on this Earth, until Your Son comes to set up His throne here.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
