This Day in History: 0000-06-15

June 15 – James 1:19-25 

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the Word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. 
But don’t just listen to God’s Word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the Word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. 

Are we looking into the mirror of Scripture every day? Let me ask a question: Would any one of us ever leave the house without first having at least glanced into a mirror to be sure our appearance meets our accepted standards?  Not very often, I can guarantee that! Yet, how often do we set about our day without so much as a peek at the reflection of our souls that is offered in the pages of Scripture? I can’t help but wonder how many times we could have been saved the embarrassment of a “bad heart day” had we just been a little more deliberate in our preparation. 

My friends, let us understand the importance of temperance here.  When it comes to the Word of God, it is imperative that we learn to be quick to listen, and slow to speak.  We need to have self-control, which means we will be intentional to sit under the teaching of Scripture. It means we will take the Bible seriously, understanding it has the power to change us! 

We won’t just listen to it either.  We’ll understand that it is Truth for living and be quick to obey.  We’ll look intently as the Spirit of God shows us what we need to see.  We’ll commit it to memory, and surrender ourselves to Him.  We’ll diligently work to accept the freedom we’ve been offered and we’ll receive the blessing He has promised to those who obey. Let’s dig in!