Devotional
Quick to Listen: James 1:19-25 – “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.”
In this first chapter of James, we have found the thrust of James’s entire letter: calling upon Christians to live with moral urgency, serious holiness, and unconditional obedience to the word of God. You can almost feel the passion coming from James as he urges us to have complete confidence in and reliance upon the grace of God. James is so earnest for moral purity in 1:19-25 because of the theology he has taught in 1:1-18 (great to read, check it out!). It is the thorough purity of God (never tempted, never tempting, never changing) that calls us to holiness; it is the generous giving of God, giving wisdom without finding fault, giving the crown of life, giving every good and perfect gift, that moves us to holiness. Furthermore, going back to the very beginning of James’s message, this pursuit of holiness is not an oppressive burden, but a task of joy because of the great worth of the goal that God’s grace has made possible. God has called Christians to become mature and complete, as firstfruits of all He created.
In James 1:19-25, his recommendation to us as we strive to live a holy life is to listen first, be patient in our speech, and put away anger. Listen to what God has to say to you, then live it out. Do not listen to what God has to say and then go on about your life without Him. Allow God’s Word to penetrate every area of your life and be obedient to His teaching.
** I encourage you to use these passages from God’s Word as a resource in your daily life. Don’t let this truth just rest on this tag or on this shirt. Use it! Let it become a part of you, let the scripture be written on your heart and move you to live your life in obedience to God out of love. Dive into God’s Word, spend time with Him in prayer, connect with other believers, live for Jesus who died for your sins and rose again! **
FYI – We have a Bible Study on Facebook.com and invite you to join. New scripture is posted daily. If you don’t have a Facebook Account, then you will need to create one to join the Bible Study. So, if you’re interested, sign into your Facebook Account and search “Facebook Bible Study – yes you can join!”
