"...Be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath..." James 1:19

 

Dichotomy, simply put, is the distance between what one believes and what one does. As we begin our walks with God, the dichotomy is great. In the process of our salvation being worked out, we as believers come to know the Lord in such a way as, hopefully, the distance between believing and acting shortens. James speaks of the importance of behaving like we believe.

 

Truth rests upon the hearts of those prepared to hear it. James urges the believer to prepare by being "swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath."

[1:19] Truth must then be assimilated, or taken in. Once it is heard and believed, the daily life will reflect that truth.

 

Nothing is more dangerous than for our ears to be closed to the Living God. We can hear well, but be hard of listening. We can adjust ourselves to hearing the Word, yet not really hear it in our hearts. Thus, we must prepare ourselves for the truth.

 

It is very difficult to hear while we are talking. In fact, there needs to be a time of silence in order to prepare ourselves to truly hear. Silence is difficult for a restless soul. James urges that the "anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God." [vs. 19-20] When worship of our Lord does not precede reception of the Word, agitation sets up and truth cannot be heard. Agitation is simply the struggle between lordships: ours with His. The decision must first be made: Do I listen to my own inner voice? Or, do I hear the voice of the Lord?

 

James admonishes us to "put aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness..." [vs. 21] The concept is to remove that which plugs up the sound in the ears. Filthiness [sin] deadens hearing. Therefore, hearing must precede confession. Once hearing is accomplished, the Word of God does the cleanup.

 

Often our approach to God is in such a manner as to say: "Hurry up, God, or You'll lose Your chance. I'm really busy right now and must run soon." God does not adjust Himself to our agendas and schedules. No, we must come to Him with an open ear, a controlled tongue, a calm spirit, and a clean heart. Otherwise, we remain divorced from the truth.