James 2:19-20, 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. 

 19: When we talk too much and listen to little, we communicate to others that we think our ideas are much more important than theirs.  James wisely advises us to re reverse this process.  Put  a mental stopwatch on your conversations and keep track of how much you talk and how much you listen.  When people talk with you, do they feel that their viewpoints and ideas have value? 

 19-20: These verses speak of anger that erupts when our egos are bruised “I am hurt”; “My opinions are not being heard.”When injustice and sin occur, we should become angry because others are being hurt.  But we should not become angry when we fail to win an argument or when we feel offended or neglected.  Selfish anger never helps anybody.

Leave a comment