Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. (James 1:19-21 ESV) If I would only abide by these simple rules life would be much easier. Ive heard it said before that our Creator gave us two ears and only one mouth because we are supposed to listen twice as much as we speak. Thats a pretty good rule to live by. We are told in James 1:22: But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. But how can we be doers of the Word if we do not listen to the Word? Proverbs 17:28 tells us: Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent. Even if we are not wise we would like to be considered wise. Too many of us, myself included, like to hear to the sound of our own voice. Then comes the biggie, slow to anger.... Ive testified to this before, but our pastor really hit me hard one Sunday when he said, Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. If our heart is filled with love, peace and joy then in our moment of weakness that will spew forth. If we are harboring hatred, resentment, fear, and self-loathing then those things will spew forth in our moments of weakness. It was true. I was spewing forth ugly things when I would get angry or hurt. I would hurl insults to try to hurt others as they were hurting me. God doesnt want us to live our lives that way. We are not His good witness when we act in this manner. So what did I do?Mind you this is just one girls testimony, but I needed Gods help! I started praying that God would make me more like Himself in all ways, and little by little I could see a change. Do I always act as I should under pressure or otherwise? Of course not! Im human! But Im so much better than I was. I can see Gods work in and through me, helping me react in ways He would have me to rather than what the world would expect. We must put away all the filthiness and wickedness that is so rampant in this world today. Our lifes testimony is the only thing that will help others see the saving power of Jesus Christ and the amazing transformation He can perform in our lives! God, I love You so much! Thank You for never giving up on me! Thank You for giving us two hears and one mouth, confirming the fact that we should listen more than we speak. Help us with this, Lord, because You know we all like to hear our own voice! Help us with our anger, take control over it, and never let it control us again. Let Your Word sink deep into our souls so that it transforms us into Your image. We desire to be more like You everyday so that others can You through us! Help us put away all the things of the world and fill all the empty spots with the good things You provide. We give You all honor and all glory and all praise! You are so very worthy!!!!
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 12:35:58 +0000
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