Listen Up

What if Jesus said something sixteen times? Would you think He wants us to underscore it, write it in red, and surround it with blinking lights? In the synoptic gospels, and in the book of Revelation, Jesus says a total of sixteen times: “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” In order to do that, James tells us in today’s verse that we have to be quick to listen.

Then we need to be slow to speak. When we’re busy talking, or thinking about what we want to say, we are not listening – and we are not learning. And we are to be slow to anger. Anger will cause us to speak too quickly and try to prove the other person wrong instead of hearing what he has to say. A simple little verse. But it’s packed with great advice that works in the business world, in our marriage, and in all other relationships. It might just be worth trying.