Think Before You Speak!

Think Before You Speak!
written by Chris Baker

The title of this devotion was my mother’s most quoted phrase while I was growing up. Fortunately, it was never directed towards me. My father had the unfortunate habit of sticking his foot in his mouth. He would constantly blurt out the first thing that came into his mind which, as the title suggests, was not always the best thing! My mom would constantly say, “Phil, you need to think before you speak!” Did he listen, or ever learn for that matter?  NO! In today’s devotion we are going to look at the importance of listening. 

Take a moment and read James 1:19-20 by clicking here. This letter was composed by James, the half-brother of Jesus. James addressed this letter to the Church. He uses language such as dear, to show his pastoral concern, and brothers and sisters to indicate his audience. According to James, every single Christian should heed what he is about to say. James 1:19b-20 says, “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” (NIV). What does listening, speaking, and anger all have in common? Before we answer that question, let’s dig a little deeper into the subject of listening, speaking and anger.  

Earlier in this chapter James spoke about trials and temptations. He points out that all believers will face them, but do not have to be overcome by them. Persevering through these various trials is what builds our faith, thus, producing a genuine faith in Jesus Christ. That being said, it is important how we choose to respond to trials and temptations. Will you choose to complain about them and get angry, as one commentator suggests, or choose to calmly listen to the Word of God?

The passage suggests that we should first take the time to listen. There is a difference between listening and hearing. I might hear that my wife asked me a question. Meaning, I heard audible words leave her mouth but that does not mean that I listened to what she was actually saying. Listening implies, the desire to understand what the person is trying to communicate. If we take the time to listen for understanding, we can be well informed about what the person is truly trying to communicate. Imagine all the disagreements this type of listening would prevent. Imagine the amount of confusion that could be resolved by truly attempting to understand what and where the person speaking is coming from. 

Being slow to speak is easier for some than others. We all want to share things, but should we always verbalize what we are thinking? In my fathers’ case that answer would be no! On a serious note, it is ok to just listen. Perhaps what you have to say could be saved for a later time or not said at all. Sometimes our constant need to speak can take away from the conversation instead of adding to it. Is your goal to be heard or to assure the other person that they are being heard and understood? 

It is also important to control our anger. Believe it or not, anger is a choice. We can choose to respond rather than react in anger. Often times when we are angry, we tend to tune out all reason. Let’s take a look at the following verses found in the book of Proverbs. “Someone with great understanding is slow to anger, but the one who has a quick temper exalts folly” (14:29), “A gentle response turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath” (15:1), “The truly wise person restrains his words, and the one who stays calm is discerning. 28 Even a fool who remains silent is considered wise, and the one who holds his tongue is deemed discerning” (17:27-28), and finally in Ecc. 7:9, “Do not let yourself be quickly provoked, for anger resides in the lap of fools” (NET). 

You see, if we listen to Scripture, we will not be easily provoked to anger. The Lord is seeking to produce His righteousness within us. If we have the Holy Spirit of God dwelling within us then responding in anger will not produce the righteous life the Lord desires for His children. Our words matter and they can either build people up or tear them down. James will go on later in this letter to describe the destructive power of the tongue. 

If your desire is to live an authentic Christian life then we need to be very careful how we respond to the trials and temptations in life, especially in our personal interactions with one another. Is it more important for you to be understood or to understand? Do you wish to tear others down with your words or lift them up? I pray you choose to listen first and speak last, to understand rather than be understood and to lift up your brother and sister up instead of tearing them down. In this way, we demonstrate the righteousness that God desires.

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