Putting it into Practice

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” James 1:19

In the last few posts, we have looked at being swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath. These are qualities that run contrary to our natural inclinations and dispositions, however, and can seem downright impossible to achieve. And yet, as James tells us just a few verses later, we are to be doers and not hearers only (v.22) So how do we develop these Christlike qualities?

I’m glad you asked.

Choosing to respond to life with measured, purposeful, patient words takes self-control, which the Bible calls temperance. Galatians 5:22 tells us,

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

Whenever the Holy Spirit convicts us about any aspect of Christlike character, we must remember that we can’t develop these things on our own.

Our strength, effort, and will are wholly insufficient for the task of taming our temper or controlling our tongue. It is only by yielding to the Holy Spirit’s empowering that we can victoriously display the qualities of Christlike character.

Basically, it comes down to saying “Yes, Lord” when faced with the temptation to speak idle words or plan out our next sentence instead of listening to the other person in a conversation, or to respond with anger when someone irritates us. God’s grace is always there, offering the power to obey.

“Yes, Lord.”

Simple, right? But not at all easy, because this also means saying no to self, choosing God’s will over our own impulses and inclinations. Earlier in Galatians 5, we find this statement:

“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.” (v.16)

If we are living each moment in submission and obedience to the Holy Spirit, we will choose to do and say and think things that glorify God: our lives will be characterized by the fruit of the Spirit, rather than the works of the flesh. That is walking in the Spirit.

And how do we walk in the Spirit? Colossians 2:6 says,

“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him.”

How did you receive Christ Jesus? As Ephesians 2:8 puts it,

“by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast.”

By faith we receive Jesus as our Savior from sin, believing that what the Bible says about Him is true. By faith also, we walk in obedience to the Holy Spirit, believing that He is able to empower us to do what He is prompting us to do.  

By faith, I choose to be swift to hear, by faith I choose to be slow to speak, and by faith I choose to be slow to wrath, trusting God to wash over me with His grace and enable me to obey.

So what about you? Are you willing to say yes to God, trusting that He is able, willing, and faithful to enable you to obey Him by being swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath? His grace is sufficient and available if we will only accept it and obey.

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“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.” Titus 2:11-12