Last 5 Days
Hearers and Doers
19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
James instructed his readers to “be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger” because anger “does not produce the righteousness of God.” He exhorted us to remove all evil and in meekness welcome the word of God as it “can save your souls.” And we must be doers not just hearers of the word of God. Or else, we are just like a man who had seen his face in the mirror and walks away forgetting what he looks like. This is because God’s law has set us free, we must persevere, and do it then we can be blessed by God.
Some people are good talkers, but most people are poor listeners. All of us have this “beast” in us called “Anger.” Anger is our common reaction when we are being accused or when we are afraid. We will also react in anger when things go wrong. But James said to rejoice under trial instead of reacting in anger. He called us to listen more and talk less so we will not easily become angry quickly. It is different from most people’s normal response of being quick to be angry and speak quickly. Instead of being slow in listening and speaking. James said that true religion 1) listens to God’s word and acts or obeys it, 2) helps the weak and vulnerable, and 3) to be unaffected by the ways of the world.
James has these suggested ways of controlling anger: 1) Quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. 2) Obey what God says. Then he will be blessed in what we do. Each week we listen to God’s word, are we quick to listen or quick to speak? Or are we quick to be angered by what we have heard?
Anger hinders our ability to hear. It also impedes our learning to become more like Jesus. Thus, we must be slow to listen and be quick to act or obey what God says and practice a pure form of Christianity that helps the vulnerable in our society, instead of walking away and forgetting everything we are or heard from God. If we do the latter, we are only deceiving ourselves into thinking that we are a disciple just because we come to church and have regularly heard the word of God preached.
Prayer: Dear God, enable me to act on your word and not merely listen or study it. Help me “a true religionist” who loves the weak and the vulnerable more than love myself and only those who love me!
