Wednesday 16 Feb 2022

February 16: James 1:19-27

Key Verse: James 1:22
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

Devotion:
One of the biggest problems many of us seem to have is to speak before thinking about what we are going to say! Whether it is out of anger, distress, or some other feeling, we tend to say things we know we ought not to because we are not thinking about it first! Jesus warned the disciples many times to not gossip and say things which will upset others just because we want to say something or in retaliation to something said by someone else.

We should try to follow the example set by Jesus who did not make a habit of getting angry about what others did or said. Yes, it can be very hard when we are upset by what others do or say, but if we take the time to form a proper response we are going to get a lot further with our response than shouting out of turn! This does not mean Jesus never got angry! He did. But He got angry for the right reasons and the response was always righteous.

All these things are written down and given to us in our bibles. These are the words and sayings of God and of Jesus and of the righteous people God chose to write them down. They are there so we can take notice of them – not just to listen to them and go off to do what we like, but to listen and obey them… to do what the bible says!

Sometimes it is easy to forget words, but much harder to forget things we see. God wants us to take notice of the words He has given us. God wants us to learn them and not to forget them. He wants us to live by them and to follow what He has commanded and said. These are the words we should think about before we go off to gossip or retaliate. Allow God to guide your responses.

Points to Ponder:
How often do you keep God in your response?

Will you try to include Him more in your life?