Quick and Slow

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
James 1:19–21
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Quick and Slow
God’s Word, found in His holy Scriptures, all points us to Christ and His work of salvation for us. It shows us how He is and who we are in relationship to Him. And with a faith implanted into us by His Word, we know and trust in Christ as our Savior. And being reborn by the Water and the Word we are new creations ready to live lives pleasing to God. It all seems so simple yet none of us ever get it right. We neglect our faith and allow it to suffer. We turn from God and toward sin as we follow our own desires. We turn against our brothers and sisters in Christ and show them no love. And James shows us hear how we can easily do this. We are too often slow to hear. We do not listen to God’s Word or to the cries of the needy. Instead, we listen to our own sinful nature which only has self-interest in mind.  And as we are too slow to hear we are too quick to speak. We allow our egos to puff us up into thinking we have all the answers and everyone needs to listen to what we say. It is difficult to learn when all you do is speak. And to top it off we are too quick to anger. We see the speck in our neighbor’s eye and accuse yet when the log in ours is pointed out we get defensive and angry. And in doing all this we despise God and His Word. Let us ever strive to listen to God’s Word and the cries of our neighbors, as we speak only words of love and comfort to them, forgoing anger for love. In this way let us look to the cross of Jesus as His forgiveness comforts us and the Holy Spirit’s faith leads us to God-pleasing lives, in humble service towards God and our neighbor.