Bible Verse of the Day Tuesday December 15th 2020

God Tells Us to be Quick to Listen Part 2  

James 1:19-20  My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

James is encouraging us to be quick to listen and slow to speak. That could be why God gave us two ears but only one mouth. We can only accomplish this through humility, knowing that our relationship with God has been restored through our faith in Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior, and not by any works, value, or worth we think we possess. In our relationship with Christ Jesus, we have the ability to be quick to listen to others and the Lord before speaking.

We are to be quick to hear the Word of God and the promptings of the Holy Spirit as we live our day to day lives. And by doing so, we help the Holy Spirit implant the Word of God deep into our hearts, where it can take root and begin to change us from the inside out. We should remember that all of scripture is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The Holy Spirit inspired the writers to use their character and life experiences to faithfully record the Word of God and His special revelation to us regarding His plan of redemption through Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

The Bible is God's revelation to us regarding His plan of redemption and His interactions with humanity. Therefore, for us to understand God's revelation, we must first have a relationship with Christ Jesus, our Lord. The Word of God is important to our spiritual growth and our walk with Christ. The Bible tells us that "the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword which can pierce into the very depths of our soul " (Hebrews 4:12). Once God's Word is implanted into our hearts and souls, it will start to produce a change in our lives, which will become evident in our day-to-day walk with Christ Jesus.

It is this change by God, which helps us to become quick to hear and slow to speak. And it is the Holy Spirit who teaches us the Word of God as He enlightens and deepens our understanding of the scriptures, as we read and study God's Word. The Holy Spirit does so by helping us to understand the Bible in light of who Christ Jesus is and what He has done for us. Those who genuinely want to know God and have a close personal relationship with Christ Jesus will possess an innate hunger for the Word. During trials and tribulations, one who hungers for the Word will turn to God for guidance and direction because he or she fervently expects the Holy Spirit to lead, guide, and direct their every step (Psalm 1:1-2). James is saying in these passages that we now belong to Jesus, and we have turned our lives over to Him as Lord and Master. Therefore, we are to let the Holy Spirit guide us and not be guided by our emotions, especially anger, pride, or envy.

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