
“My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,” James 1:19
There is a joke about four elderly women stopped by a policeman for driving too slow. The officer explained to the driver that driving too slow on an interstate is just as dangerous as driving too fast. The old woman explained she was going 22, just as the sign said. The officer explained to her the sign was the interstate number and not the speed limit. All the while the other women were quiet, obviously shaken up. He asked the driver if they were all right. She assured him they would be alright and explained they had just gotten off route 119. As Christians, we must be slow and deliberate when it comes to speaking our minds and becoming angry, but quick to listen and to do the work of the Lord.
The First chapter of James is an important one for Christians. It discusses how we often miss the mark by not reining in our tongues and by not taking the time to listen to the word of God and act on it instead of merely listening. Any athlete will tell you the significant difference between knowing what to do and being able to do it. James instructs us to be humble listeners and then patient and persistent doers of the word. The blessing, he tells us, comes from doing.
Be a deliberate Christian today.
Deacon Larry Woodard