Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: (James 1:19)
Today's Morsel: A pastor just fresh from Bible College, was invited to speak at a chapel service in a prison. He was very excited but being his very first time, he was very nervous as well. He thought hard about how to introduce his message. On the day he arrived at the prison, he was greeted by a large group of prisoners waiting to hear him. As the young pastor walked and stood behind the pulpit, he said, ‘Good morning. It’s so good to see you here!’
Sometimes those slips of the tongue can be embarrassing and hard to overcome. Depending on our audience, we may feel like crawling under a table or running for cover. James tells us to let every man be swift to hear, and slow to speak. Because we are snared by our words, we must choose them carefully. James' warning should alert us to be cautious with our tongue. He says it can set on fire the course nature and it is set on the fire of hell. People get hurt, lives are shattered, and wars begin all because of words spoken at the wrong time or with the wrong intonation. Probably the best thing to do when someone says something that we don't like is to just let it go, or make sure that our reply is god-like and not man-like. A word fitly spoken how good is it? Solomon says it's like apples of gold in pictures of silver. Don't feel as though you have to have the last word. Jesus said that it is more blessed to give than to receive. Therefore, it more blessed to give your attention to others than to think you always have to speak. If you speak when you are angry, your words will probably not be godly. We must choose them carefully, because once spoken, we can never retrieve them.
Sing: Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, Oh God.
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