“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.” –  James 1:19 NIV

 In the last post, we talked about being determined to have a new or refreshed outlook. Since this is the time of year when people begin thinking about ways to enhance their situation or themselves, why not look at ways to improve ourselves and positively impact others? We need to be the ones, as my Pastor recently said, “to transform the atmosphere.”

Let’s challenge ourselves to intentionally follow the critical points in James 1:19 so that we are producing what God wants while keeping ourselves away from anger. The Amplified (AMP) version of this verse provides more insight regarding each one:
1. Let everyone be quick to hear [be a careful, thoughtful listener]
2. Slow to speak [a speaker of carefully chosen words]
3. Slow to anger [patient, reflective, forgiving]

By applying this approach, we demonstrate the heart of God, which is love.  Paul Tillich stated, “The first duty of love is to listen.”  

So, let’s ponder this quote for a moment… “God gave us mouths that close and ears that don’t, that must tell us something.” –  Anonymous  

My prayer is that each of us will use the “quick, slow, slow” method, which will bless ourselves and others, by placing God’s love into all our conversations.

Thank you for your time. Be Blessed… LR Maddox
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