Straight Talk

5/10/2022

James 1:5 "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him."

If you have not read the Book of James in a while, or perhaps never did, I would recommend it for sure. After the Gospels, I would say Psalms, Proverbs, and James are probably my favorite books of the Bible, even though my life verses are in Philippians. 😇I love James because it is written very clearly. It starts out with straight talk and keeps going, and that is what I love. When I share with other Christians that I am very fond of this book, they usually tell me it is their least favorite. There I go, being a rebel again.

My husband and I are reading through it once again, and it always sparks a lively conversation between us. This morning we were both challenged, like we usually are when meditating on this book.  The heading of chapter 1:19-27 is "Hearing and Doing the Word". Just by that, you know you are in for some truth bombs, so let's unpack verses 19 and 20. "Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God." Boom! What if everyone in the world practiced this way of communication? 

We live in a culture where everyone talks, but precious few listens. We need not look farther than cable news or our politicians to see such hubris. The verse doesn't begin with talking, but instead listening, and it says, "quick to listen". You almost get the vision of a coach getting their teams attention by shouting, "Listen Up!" This charge is difficult in our society, particularly because of the distraction of technology. I know I am guilty of half-listening while on my phone, and I am not proud of that fact. If we could all really listen to one another we would certainly gain a deeper understanding of someone else's point of view and their journey. It is also a sign of respect. 

The next part is, "slow to speak". This is sometimes a tough one for me too, as I usually practice a shoot-from-the-hip kind of communicator. I am also uncomfortable in the silences, especially when I do not know someone well. However, I am learning to be more thoughtful when I speak, even though that takes effort for me. I have certainly known people that are slow to speak, but they usually are tougher for people to build relationships with. We are so used to rapid-fire conversation and information that being with someone who is thoughtful when speaking is a bit rare. It is, however, Biblical indeed. 

The third part says, "slow to anger". Boy, is this one that is lost in our society today. Anger seems to be the go-to emotion with all of the divisiveness in our current world. The idea of people agreeing to disagree has become somewhat of an antiquated notion. Covid and our political climate have certainly brought out anger in people that I would have considered very gentle and passive before. Many people are just letting their anger fly without even thinking anymore. It is a sad state, indeed. Even believers I know are easy to anger recently over the state of our world. The follow up, of course, is that man's anger does not produce the righteousness of God. Let that just roll over you for a minute. We may claim righteous indignation when we are angry, but if we really stopped to think about our motivation, it would probably come from a place of judgement. As believers, we know that judgement belongs to God. 

So in summary:

1. Listen with openness and willingness.

2. Consider what you say before you say it.

3. Do not get angry, for our anger does not honor God.

Like I said, these verses are clear and to the point. If we could implement these three things and take action, it could change everything.