Whoa, Now!

"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

We live in a high speed society, don't we?  I was in Dallas last week, and my mind cannot gather itself around all the highways and byways crossing and hovering over one another.  The cars speed past at breakneck speed, all in a hurry to get to their destination.  It looks to me that they may as well learn a little patience, slow down a bit, and forget the road rage.  It just doesn't help!  

In the same way, we tend to run our mouths incessantly, thinking that what we have to say is more important that the thoughts and opinions of anyone else.  We can't hear what others are saying because we are in too big a hurry to say what we have to say.  And our anger has a tendency to express itself in words, no less.  Words, words, words.......(Don't get mad at me!  God said so!)

In order to obey the command of God in James 1:19-21, we must all pull in the reigns (see horsey above), slow down a bit and consider what we are doing.  If our goal is to see the righteousness of God produced in our lives, we must put away the filthiness of too many words, too much anger and too little listening.  And we must do this:  "Receive with meekness the implanted Word, which is able to save your souls." (v. 21)

Matthew Henry said it this way:  "We must therefore yield ourselves to the word of God, with most submissive, humble, and tractable tempers: this is to receive it with meekness. Being willing to hear of our faults, and taking it not only patiently, but thankfully, desiring also to be molded and formed by the doctrines and precepts of the gospel.  In all our hearing we should aim at the salvation of our souls. It is the design of the word of God to make us wise to salvation; and those who propose any meaner or lower ends to themselves in attending upon it dishonour the gospel and disappoint their souls."

If we can attain to this, we are progressing nicely in the Christian life!  

Pulling in the reigns,

Gloria