James 1:19-20 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.

One of the most challenging human emotions is that of anger. Most of us have been in a situation that we are so angry at something that we simply go past a point that we ever imagined we could go. As we learn from the Apostle James, anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. It is from the flesh and in no way brings glory to Christ and will tarnish our witness to unbelievers.

I remember I was in a situation where I wanted something done a specific way. As I was walking into my home, the person I was angry at for doing this small thing incorrectly (in my opinion), had planned a surprise party for me. As I am venting my “not so righteous” anger, I opened the door to find 30-40 of my closest friends inside my home waiting to celebrate my birthday with me… Talk about a sobering moment (and thankfully one that happened almost 30 years ago). But regardless of the amount of time that has gone by, I will never forget the embarrassment and shame I felt for becoming so angry over something so little and to have those I was closest to see the real me. Unfortunately, this happened time and again over the years and thankfully the Lord is merciful. He always gives us opportunities to turn and repent from our anger and start over once again.

As James states in verse 18, we are the firstfruits of his creatures. This being said, the way we act should reflect our position in Christ. Good behavior doesn’t save us, good behavior is a response to our position in Christ. We love because He first loved us. There are three things pointed out in these verses on how we should be.

• Be quick to hear
• Be slow to speak
• Be slow to anger

I often remind myself that my walk of faith has more to do with “be”-ing than it does with “do”-ing. It begins with a state of being that stems from the condition of our heart. When we are in Christ then we begin to live and act like Christ. Be quick to hear and slow to speak. We have all heard it many times, “God gave you two ears and one mouth for a reason.” When we are more concerned with what we have to say we often miss what others are saying. Our ears need to be ready to hear the Word of God and the godly instruction from others. Being slow to speak is far more challenging than being quick to hear. It requires patience and understanding and as we proceed in the book of James we will see that he has a lot to say about the tongue.

Lastly, as previously stated, anger can get you and I into a lot of trouble. Proverbs 16:32 says Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. The Proverbs have a lot to say about anger, and if you struggle with it you know how challenging it is to get control over it. On our own we will never be able to tame the tongue and get control of our anger. It is through the power of God that we can be set free from anger and strife and truly become one who is, as James says, producing the righteousness of God.

Prayer

Lord, I want your righteousness produced in me. Please help me to be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. I can only do this through you and the Spirit that dwells in me. Amen