James 1:19-21 — Take note...

 READ THIS: James 1:19-21

19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

 
WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?

If the author of something says "hey, pay attention to this part," it's usually a good sign that something important is about to be said! James says we need to specifically take note that God calls us to be good listeners who don't say the first thing on our mind and choose to hold their tongues when they are angry. Why? Because God desires for us to be righteous (doing what is right... right-ness!), and anger doesn't lead us there. So how can we learn to be better listeners and slower talkers and anger-ers??? We allow God to plant His word (the Bible) and Himself (the Holy Spirit) in us by spending time with Him and asking Him to be there!


THINK ABOUT IT:

1. Of the three things listed by James (quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to become angry), which do you feel like God has helped you grow in the most over the years?
 
2.  Now... you saw this coming... of those same three choices, which one do you need the most growth in today?

 
TRY THIS:

We love practicing this in small groups, but our challenge for you today is to try ALL day to not think of the next thing you want to say while someone is talking! Listen to them fully, wait a second, then respond!

Comments

  1. AnonymousJanuary 18, 2023 at 7:09 AM

    To be honest, I need to work on the anger. I tend to stuff it, so when it does come out, it sometimes has too much pressure built up behind it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Grace Student MinistriesJanuary 18, 2023 at 8:03 AM

      Thanks so much for sharing and being honest! Something that helps us out when we are holding anger in is writing down what makes us angry and talking to Jesus about it through prayer! If you want to talk more about this, please feel free to let us know!

      Delete
  2. AnonymousJanuary 18, 2023 at 8:49 AM

    Maybe we honor the Holy Spirit in others when we pause to fully listen.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Galatians 2:1-5 — Marathon Training

R EAD THIS:  Galatians 2:1-5 1 Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also. 2 I went in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain. 3 Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. 4 This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. 5 We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.   WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? Yesterday, we learned about how Paul went to Jerusalem and shared the incredible things Jesus did, but today, we are hearing about Paul's second time visiting Jerusalem... 14 years later. Paul talks about a bunch of things that happened ...
Read more

Luke 8:19-21 — Jesus's Fam!

R EAD THIS:  Luke 8:19-21 19 Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. 20 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.” 21 He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.” WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? Ummmm, hold up, is Jesus dissing on His family here? I mean, I know He is God's Son and all, but at first glance, this passage makes it seem like He is kind of hating on His family! However, if we really look into this passage, it's actually a lot more about us than it is about the family of Jesus.  In case you forgot, the last few passages have features Jesus telling and explaining different parables to a large crowd as well as His disciples. Clearly, the crowd has gotten so large that Mary and Jesus's brothers (yes... Jesus had brothers!) couldn't even reach Him. When someone told Jesus "hey dude, your fam is here an...
Read more

WELCOME BACK! Hebrews Introduction

WELCOME BACK TO DEEPLY ROOTED!!! Greetings fellow Bible readers and Jesus journey-ers! We're stoked to get back in the swing of things with y'all. For any new readers, this section would usually be where our handful of Bible verses will be. The section below would break down what in the world the verses mean. Then, there are some debrief questions for you to dive deeper and an application point. A new addition this year is the Song of the Week! We'll share a song that ties into the theme of the next few verses...if you gaze ahead and have song suggestions, comment below or text! HEBREWS INTRODUCTION: As with any book of the Bible, different Biblical scholars say different things about this letter, but we'll tell you the most probable take. So here it is: Hebrews is a letter written to a group of Jews who were being persecuted for deciding to follow Jesus. It is a letter to encourage them and to show that Jesus truly is the best person to follow despite how hard it was g...
Read more