As we remember the death of our Lord Jesus Christ today, I would like you to recap on the message of the cross posted first week of April and reflect on the debt that we had that we could not pay yet Jesus paid the debt that He did not owe. Today we also continue with the 18 day journey with Apostle James as we learn basic lessons for our growth in the Lord.
One of the basic lessons that God desires from every Christian is listening. This is because, its by listening that we know God’s voice , differentiate His voice from other voices and also know the direction He wants us to take. By listening we learn from others, building and strengthening relationships of those we interact with. The encouragement James has for all of us today is that, “everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” v19. For this reason, paying attention is very crucial and essential in our relations with God, spouses, children, family members, friends’ colleagues and others. Anyone who takes much time talking but pays no attention to what someone else has to say misses a lot because he cannot learn from others.
James also encourages us to be slow to speak. In other words, before anyone says something he/she must first of all think about what they are just about to say. One should ask, is what I am about to say true? Is it kind? Is it necessary? If it fits all these questions, then it’s worth saying. If not, one should keep silent.
Another thing James is talking about is being slow to become angry. Ephesians 4:26 says “in your anger do not sin, do not let the sun go down while you are still angry”. This means anger in itself is not sin but the results that are brought about by someone being angry. Sometimes one can get angry of wrong doing for example, when Jesus entered the temple in Jerusalem became so angry with traders doing business in God’s house. In anger He drove them out overturning tables and benches because the house of the Lord was being used for the wrong reasons. We must not be angry for personal reasons; like vengeance or hatred but positive anger should be God’s kind of anger that hates sin and not the sinner.
V 20 tells us that human anger does not bring about the righteousness that God desires. Human anger can be against people; it can be selfish and does not seek to bring positive solutions. The counsel we have from James in regard to this is that we must ‘ get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent, and humbly accept the word planted in us which can save us’ v21.
In v22, James shows that listening by itself alone is not enough. It must be accompanied by an action. We listen to get information which helps us do something or take action to a particular objective or goal.
Taking a step to do something after knowing the truth is obedience. V22 “do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourself. Do what it says”. No one will or has been saved by listening only but by believing and obeying what the word of God says. James compares God’s word with a mirror in V23-24 that it takes a short while for us to forget the true image we see of ourselves in a mirror. Thomas Hale in his book comments and says looking ourselves in a mirror ‘We see our true face, our true self and that is our sinful nature.’ pg 609.
The word of God like a mirror shows us our sin. When we listen and not do anything about it we are like someone who is gazing in a mirror and soon forgets what he/she looked like. If one notices something on the face or on the body after looking in the mirror, the ideal thing is to go wash the face and remove the dirt. The same way, when God’s word reveals sin in us, the ideal thing is to go before him in repentance and ask him to wash us and forgive us.
The one who never forgets after looking at himself in a mirror is like one who “looks intently into the perfect law (God’s word) that gives freedom, and continues to do this (daily), without forgetting what he has heard but doing it (believing and obeying what it says), he/she will be blessed in what he does” v25 with my additional notes.
In conclusion, James shares with us about the marks of a true, pure and faultless religion that God accepts which is the ability to control one’s tongue, to look after the orphans and widows in their distress and finally to keep oneself from being polluted or conformed by the world. (v26-27). God is pleased when we show mercy and act in love towards those in our communities who are orphaned and the widows. We must always find joy in sharing our resources with those in needs and by partnering with social justice projects that seeks to care for the needy in our communities.
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