Slow!
Today's Verse:
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: ~James 1:19
As a driver of a passenger car, you are familiar with the various signs that are posted to help us comply with the speeding laws. One of the signs that we sometimes see is the one that says, “Slow!” It might mean children are nearby at a school. Slowing down means we are to adjust our speed so that we do not endanger other people. James wrote to first century believers who had a tendency to fly off the handle and do irreparable damage to their relationships. He gives us a practical and needy exhortation that it is important that we slow down.
Let’s be slow in our attitude.
As someone once said, “Your attitude affects your altitude.” How we view people and our situations has a huge bearing on our attitude. A negative attitude results in a negative reaction. A perception that certain people are out to do us in results in an adverse attitude towards these people. If we walk around with a chip on our shoulder, we can be confrontational with people and have hostile reactions. We should seek to be at peace with all men. Remember that agape love thinketh no evil and beareth all things. Be careful to have all the facts in hand before you make an assumption that another person is wrong. Don’t treat a family member or fellow church member as your enemy if something does not turn out right. Determine that you will adopt a positive attitude in everything and not descend into a doom-and-gloom mindset if something does not turn out the way you think it should have.
Let’s be slow in our anger.
Some people have personalities that are like a powder keg whose fuse is ready to be lit. If they were the recipients of anger from someone else, they tend to be angry people as well. Uncontrolled anger, rage, and wrath are signs of a proud, insecure, and bitter person. James said, "Let every man be... slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God." If we lash out at people with anger and show a spirit of revenge, we reflect poorly on our character and social grace. We become a personality that other people avoid. In time, we can get ourselves into much trouble legally with wrath that is always ready to explode.
Let’s be slow in our answers.
Being slow to speak means to think before you say anything. When we feel we have been offended or do not like what was said or presented to us, we tend to be too opinionated and say things we cannot retract. As a rule of thumb, being slow to speak wisely keeps us from saying something that one day we will regret. Be slow to speak when it comes to criticism. Be slow to speak when it comes to your opinion. Be slow to speak when you have been insulted or attacked. Evaluate the situation, and decide if this is something that can be better addressed at another time.
Slow down! Don’t let your emotions or the emotions of other people set you in the wrong direction. If you have had a problem in one or all of these three areas, confess it to God as sin, and ask Him for the power to overcome it. Instead of being uncontrolled when it comes to anger and wrath, let’s be slow by the power of Christ!
Have a controlled God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: 1 Kings 6-7