James 1.19-21
19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to
20 Human anger does not produce the
21 So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives,
and humbly
for it has the power to
Quick to listen… to whom? Proverbs says ‘Wisdom’
Prov. 2
2 Tune your ears to
3 Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding.
4 Search for them as you would for
5 Then you will understand what it means to
and you will gain knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord
The Bible also says wisdom is Christ.
1 Corinthians 1.30 God has united you with Christ Jesus.
For our benefit God made him to be
Slow to speak (and I don’t need many words)
Ecc. 5
As you enter the house of God, keep your ears
It is
2 Don’t make rash promises, and don’t be hasty in bringing matters before God.
After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth. So let your words be
Luke 6
43 “A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 44 A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thornbushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. 45 A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you
So, is this instructions for getting along with others, or is James instructing me how God wants to deal with my heart? Is this primarily directing me how to deal with people or how God wants to deal with me? We know our relationship with God is reflected in how we treat others ALWAYS. God is working from the inside out.
Be slow to get angry. Human anger doesn’t produce what God desires.
Eph. 4
26 And “don’t sin by letting anger
Your whole life has very likely been moved and manipulated by humiliation, shame and anger. Let me run that out for you. You’re told to do/be better and your motivator has been threats, anger, embarrassment, shame.
God doesn’t manipulate you by fear and anger.
James says “get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.”
I certainly have an inventory of filth and evil that I have done and treasured. But it’s unlikely that we think of the filth and evil of how we’ve been manipulated and then attribute those ill motives to God. Sometimes we think God is like everybody else in our life; God is like no one you and I have ever known. —RM
Humbly Accept This!
Romans 2
4 Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you?
Does this mean nothing to you?
Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?
What God Has Planted Is Notable By HOW He Is Toward Us!
1 John 4. 15-19 All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in
God is love, and
17 And as we live in God, our love
So we will not be
but we can face him with
because we live like
18 Such love has
and this shows that we have not fully
19 We love each other because he loved us first.
Look at the qualities of God’s love toward us!
Eph. 1
3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has
5 God decided in advance to
This is what he
6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has
7 He is so
8 He has
Rom. 9
22 In the same way, even though God has the
James 1
19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.
20 Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.
21 So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives,
and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts,
for it has the power to save your souls.
You are not an object of wrath but instead an object of God’s love. If you will look at the love of Christ, His love will push aside all the filth and evil you’ve done and been through and been put through and you will see Him for all He really is.
Living in the promise of how God says He treats you, thinks about you, and loves you will save YOUR SOUL. —RM