Daily Devotional

I’m naturally more of a listener than a talker. That always catches people by surprise because a big part of what I do is talk. I love teaching and teaching equals talking but when it comes to hanging out in a group, I’d rather just ask questions and listen to others. Does this automatically mean I’m quick to listen and slow to speak? Not so much. No matter if you’re a talker or a person of few words, we all need to practice James’ commands.

Sometimes just a simple pause makes all the difference. I can’t count the number of times I’ve wanted to say something and hesitated just long enough to realize it was better to say something else or say nothing at all. Proverbs 17:28 tells us, “Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise…”

Have you ever been talking to someone, and you can tell they’ve already stopped listening to you and are just waiting for you to take a breath so they can jump in? No one really likes that when it happens to them, but I’m guessing we’ve all done it (I know I have). Listening is more than just being quiet; listening is actively hearing what the other person is saying.
 
I believe James lists the commands found in this verse in the order he does for a reason. IF we are quick to hear then we WILL be slow to speak; IF we are slow to speak then we WILL be slow to anger. It’s like a recipe for avoiding putting our foot in our mouths.

Another part of being quick to listen is giving people the benefit of the doubt. I’ve heard that when we talk there’s what we mean to say, what we actually say, and what people hear us say. Someone may phrase something awkwardly or may say something in a way that sounds hurtful (even if they don’t intend it), or they may just say something we don’t understand. We can jump to the worst possible interpretation, or we can try to filter things through the understanding that we may be “hearing” them differently than they intend. If we are prone to jump to conclusions (or judgment) then pausing for a moment to not only listen, but re-listen may be the best thing we can do.

Basically, the first thing we should do when conversing is listen. It’s not easy, but it’s important. The easy thing isn’t always the right thing. It’s far easier to be slow to hear, quick to speak, and quick to anger. Even though it’s more difficult, it’s always better to be slow to speak and quick to hear.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.