Countdown: Quick, Slow, Slow

 

I hope that everyone knows James 1:19-20. It is a memory verse that most of you have mastered. Let’s master the guts of this verse in application. It’s quick, slow, slow.

Quick to listen is the first to listen. The person who will commit to listening to the other person or persons before expressing their own thoughts. Being understood is a basic human need. Stepping out to say, “I’m going to listen until I understand you—might not agree with you—but I will commit to understanding you.

Slow to speak means you can’t talk and listen at the same time. It validates that I have committed to listening first. I still want to have my say and want you to understand me, but you go first. I will keep quiet, except to ask something for clarification, and I will listen.

Slow to anger does not mean never getting angry, but anger is never our first resort, and we should have a very slow fuze. God will judge the wicked, and he wants us to reduce his work in that area not by being angry for him but by bringing the wicked to repentance and right standing in the blood of Jesus. Anger sometimes feels justified, even righteous, because we know that this would really anger God. But God said that vengeance and anger belong to him.

Our anger cannot produce a righteous life. It’s not effective. It is a waste of our efforts and detracts from our mission of sharing God’s love with the world.

Quick, slow, slow, remember those three and save both regret and the valuable allocation of your time to something with no good return.

Remembering the whole verse helps too.