Who's Talking?

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.
James 1:19 NLT

When we're angry, are we able to listen to the other person? When we're angry, we're usually too busy firing off a reaction to hear. Even if we are not actively voicing our protest, our thoughts are fully engaged to fervidly or passionately react. This is not the best way to communicate.

If we're angry all the time, we are not listening to any voice response save our own. The next verse of our text tells us that human anger does NOT produce God's righteousness in our lives. So what do we do? We know our own righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64). The Message Bible instructs us to lead with our ears. To make it a priority to hear, to LISTEN. 

Who's talking - you or God? Your pride and anger or His Truths? Who do you want to hear? Then be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.

Prayer:

Father,

           Help us, O God. Without You, we are never able to do this. Give us clean hands and pure hearts so that we are able to walk righteously before You, quietly and at peace. We want to be able to hear You when You speak. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Time Together

I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. This is my command: Love each other.
John 15:9-17 NLT

I love spending time with my family and friends. I love talking to them and finding out what's going on in their lives - rejoicing in their good times and helping to bear the tough times. We don't get together nearly as often as I would like, but I never tire of talking to them. Thankfully, we live in a time when there are so many ways to do that! I don't ever reach a place where I think I already know everything they're going to say, so I stop talking or listening to them. Can you imagine? Me, either...

And yet how often do we do it with God? He speaks to us through His Word - do we make time to read it? It doesn't matter how many times we've read it. His Word is alive and powerful. His mercies are new every morning. He speaks to us when we get in His presence - do we take the time to get there? Do we talk to God or at Him? He promises to hear us - Do we take the time to listen for His response? Do we spend enough time together?

Prayer:

Father, 
          Open our eyes to see You. Open our ears to hear You. Open our hearts to love You as You have loved us. Purify our hearts, O God. We want clean hands and a pure heart. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen