We mainly have two types of days. Days where nothing gets to us, and days when we get energized by the buckets of pouring rain; when we have a sprint in our walk; a patient look on our face; and a forgiving heart when the car splashes our nice suit as it drives by.
We also have those days when all things go wrong. When we get worked up by the cashier’s tone of voice, a colleague’s look, a kid’s wrong move, and a spouse’s lack of reading our mind. Those are the days when the sunshine is just too bothersome. Our sun-glasses have a scratch and are not polished enough.
No matter how you feel as you woke up this morning: dancing in the rain or stamping your feet in the sunshine, today’s verse will challenge us all to stay in the ballroom and learn the moves of a godly dance. One Sunday morning my husband’s assistant- pastor, Jonathan, was preaching on James 1:19 “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” He mentioned that his dad, who’s a wonderful pastor, made a song for them, which he called, the James 1:19 Waltz.
I know there’s some Christians in some parts of the world where dancing is highly discouraged. But, I hope today we will agree that each Christian needs the James 1:19 dance. Let the dance begin: quick- slow-slow, quick-slow-slow!
- Be quick to LISTEN– we’ll look at a few verses about this from various perspectives
- Always first listen, then speak :”To answer before listening- that is folly and shame” Proverbs 18:13 NIV
- All stories have two sides, listen to both before you give counsel: “In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines.” Proverbs 18:17 NIV
- Be discerning, but get advice from godly people: “The way of the fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.“
- Be slow to SPEAK–
- Ecclesiastes says that there is a time for everything, a time to be silent and a time to speak. Job’s friends did one thing right in the beginning when they arrived to Job’s house “…they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.” They kept quiet. Then they kept on talking. Then they kept on not being helpful to Job at all by talking, judging and accusing. If you know someone in pain or mourning, don’t start preaching. Be a shoulder to cry on, and a listening ear to their pain. Speak loving truth into their hearts, but at the right time. Basically, be wise.
- Speak the truth in love. We have this high expectations of people to be able to read our mind. Only God can and we should be ok with that. We need to communicate our desires, our disappointments, our appraise, and our thoughts. Ephesians 4:15 “…speaking the truth in love.”
- Gossip has been very popular even before the gossip magazines in the 60’s. It comes natural to most of us to fall into that trap. We become part of the gossip about a friend, a relative, a neighbor, or a church member, even if we are quiet listeners while a chatter box is smearing somebody else’s image. We need to gently confront the person gossiping or we need to step out and not be part of it. “A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret.” Proverbs 11:13 NIV
- Be encouraging. “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Ephesians 4:29 NIV
- Be slow like a sloth when it comes to complaining. It’s easy to express our unhappy emotions, but we need to sift them through a filter. Philippians 2:14 “Do all things without complaining and disputing.” NKJV
- Be slow to become ANGRY
- I daily remind myself to be gentle “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up conflict.” Proverbs 15:1 NIV
- Never go to bed angry. You are not guaranteed tomorrow. Also, tomorrow will have its own problems. Deal with them on a daily basis. If not, 15 years down the road you will pay the price. It will be harder to backtrack to find what is at the root of your pain, hurt, disappointment, or bitterness. Don’t give the devil the pleasure of seeing you suffer. “Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” Ephesians 4:26-27 NIV
- Don’t get involved in somebody else’s problem “Like one who grabs a stray dog by the ears is someone who rushes into a quarrel not their own.” Proverbs 26:17 NIV
Memory Verse: “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” James 1:19
Things I need to work on:
- be quick to listen to others, not my own voice
- be slow to speak, so I can avoid gossip, complaining & harsh words
- be slow to get angry, instead have time to pray for a gentle answer