Tag Archives: James 1:19-20

Be Quick To Listen

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Becoming Like Christ - Day 127 - James 1:19-20 - Be Quick To Listen- Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Becoming Like Christ – Day 127 – James 1:19-20 – Be Quick To Listen- Growing As Disciples

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. James 1:19-20 (NIV)

Quick Listener

I have not been the best of listeners. I’m sure that I could never be described as a quick listener. Why is it that you have been neither a good nor quick listener? That is a very good and difficult question. By difficult, I don’t mean that your question is difficult to understand but that my answer is difficult to admit. You can be sure that your answer will come as no great surprise to me. Then I might as well give my answer without any hesitation. I’m sure that you know my answer and the reason I have been both a poor and slow listener. Yes, I do. I have obviously thought that I have much more to add by speaking than by listening. How does that sound to you? It sounds pathetically proud to me. It is difficult and embarrassing to admit that my pride has made me a poor listener. Instead of listening well, I have thought about what I might say next. At times, I have thought so hard about what I might say next that I probably haven’t even heard what has been said to me. How does that sound to you? That sounds obnoxious and annoying. You are quite hard on yourself about your slowness to listen and quickness to speak. Yes, I am. It is appropriate. My listening and speaking skills need to drastically change. Yes, they do.

How do you hope to change as a listener and as a speaker? I would like to listen well. I would like to speak far less. I will like to understand others far better. There is more. There is something else that I have not mentioned. What’s that? Not only have I not listened well and been quick to speak, I have also been quick to become angry. Why is that? I have jumped to conclusions. I have made assumptions. I have been easily offended. I have not carefully and prayerfully considered what others have said to me. My pride has not only led to quick speaking but also to quick anger. That’s not good. No, it’s not. There is one more thing of which I am certain. What’s that? If I am not listening well to others, I am not likely to be listening well to you either. That’s true. What else could you say about slow listening, quick speaking and quick anger? That combination will never result in my living the kind of righteous life that you desire for me. No, it will not. So, I am asking you to change me. Help me to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. That is my prayer. That is a prayer that I will hear and answer. Thank you, Lord. 

Lord, I have not been quick to listen. I have been slow to listen and quick to speak and become angry. I know this is not the kind of life you want me to live. Help me to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry so I can live a righteous life. Amen

Key Question… How has God been helping you to become quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry?

Living It Out…  Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry so you can live the righteous life God desires.

Seeing It Happen… Have faith that the Lord will help you to live the righteous life that He desires.

Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how the Lord is helping you to live the righteous life He desires.

Prayer To Bless Others… May you be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Day 127 – Becoming Like Christ – James 1-19-20 – Be Quick To Listen – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

Quick To Listen

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Becoming Like Christ - Day 127 - James 1:19-20 - Quick To Listen- Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Becoming Like Christ – Day 127 – James 1:19-20 – Quick To Listen- Growing As Disciples

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. James 1:19-20 (NIV)

Quick Listener

I have not been the best of listeners. I’m sure that I could never be described as a quick listener. Why is it that you have been neither a good nor quick listener? That is a very good and difficult question. By difficult, I don’t mean that your question is difficult to understand but that my answer is difficult to admit. You can be sure that your answer will come as no great surprise to me. Then I might as well give my answer without any hesitation. I’m sure that you know my answer and the reason I have been both a poor and slow listener. Yes, I do. I have obviously thought that I have much more to add by speaking than by listening. How does that sound to you? It sounds pathetically proud to me. It is difficult and embarrassing to admit that my pride has made me a poor listener. Instead of listening well, I have thought about what I might say next. At times, I have thought so hard about what I might say next that I probably haven’t even heard what has been said to me. How does that sound to you? That sounds obnoxious and annoying. You are quite hard on yourself about your slowness to listen and quickness to speak. Yes, I am. It is appropriate. My listening and speaking skills need to drastically change. Yes, they do.

How do you hope to change as a listener and as a speaker? I would like to listen well. I would like to speak far less. I will like to understand others far better. There is more. There is something else that I have not mentioned. What’s that? Not only have I not listened well and been quick to speak, I have also been quick to become angry. Why is that? I have jumped to conclusions. I have made assumptions. I have been easily offended. I have not carefully and prayerfully considered what others have said to me. My pride has not only led to quick speaking but also to quick anger. That’s not good. No, it’s not. There is one more thing of which I am certain. What’s that? If I am not listening well to others, I am not likely to be listening well to you either. That’s true. What else could you say about slow listening, quick speaking and quick anger? That combination will never result in my living the kind of righteous life that you desire for me. No, it will not. So, I am asking you to change me. Help me to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. That is my prayer. That is a prayer that I will hear and answer. Thank you, Lord. 

Lord, I have not been quick to listen. I have been slow to listen and quick to speak and become angry. I know this is not the kind of life you want me to live. Help me to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry so I can live a righteous life. Amen

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Day 127 – Becoming Like Christ – James 1-19-20 – Quick To Listen – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

Quick To Listen

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Be - James 1:19-20 - Quick To Listen - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Be – James 1:19-20 – Quick To Listen – Growing As Disciples

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. James 1:19-20 (NIV)

Take Notes 

Are you ready to take notes? Are you ready and willing to listen carefully to what I want to say to you? You have my full attention. I’m ready to take notes and write down everything you want to say to me. That’s good. Start writing. You have not been a good listener. Have you ever thought of listening without thinking about what you might say next? Not really. You have been far more concerned about what you might say than with what you might hear. I’m sure that’s true. Why is that? I have liked to debate. I have wanted to present my point of view. I have wanted to make my case. I have wanted to win arguments. That’s funny. What’s funny about that? You want to win. You have been so concerned with winning an argument or debate that you haven’t listened well. You have been quick to speak. You have been slow to listen. You have allowed yourself to angrily debate an issue, when the far better course would have been to listen and keep your mouth shut. What’s funny, ironic really, is that the sure way to lose out in life is to not listen well to what others are saying to you. You would be far better off to listen carefully to others rather than to quickly speak what is on your mind. I have a question for you. I’m listening. How many ears have I given to you? You have given me two ears. That’s right. How many mouths have I given to you? You have given me one mouth. That is also right. Your answers should give you a clue about how much I want you to listen and how much I want you to speak. You want me to listen twice as much as I speak? Sometimes, I want you to speak far less than that.

Do you like what has happened to you when you have allowed yourself to get caught up in a heated debate? No, not really. Why is that? I have not enjoyed the experience of rushing into a debate. Then, I know that I have not listened well. I know that I have not taken in what has been said to me. I have not allowed myself to benefit from what others have said to me. The words of others have gone in one ear and out the other, if they have entered my hearing at all. Why is that? I have been filled with pride. I have not valued the thoughts and words of others. I have thought that I knew better. I have thought that I knew it all. Do you know it all? No, I know very little. I need all the help and wise counsel I can receive. That’s very good. Yes, you do need wise counsel from people that I will bring into your life. To receive that counsel, you must be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. Will you do that? Yes Lord, I will. I will listen more carefully. When you listen more carefully, speak less often and don’t allow yourself to become angry, you will be able to live the righteous life that I am calling you to live. That’s what I want.

Lord, I have been impatient and filled with pride. I have been a poor listener that thought I knew it all. I have been quick to speak to offer my opinion. In the heat of debate, I have allowed anger to grow in me. No more! Help me to live the life you desire for me. Amen 

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Be – James 1-19-20 – Quick To Listen – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com