“19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.”
James 1:19-21 ESV.
When I’m highly stressed, I struggle to listen well to people. Similarly, I find it really easy to get angry because I’m already on edge from the stress and anxiety. There are many reasons why people build up stress and anxiety, but when it occurs, it often results in a drop in mental health. For our own benefit, what adjustments can we make to keep us at our best?
In the passage today, James emphasises that we ought to be “quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger”. Easier said than done.
The spiritual disciplines of abstinence, such as silence and solitude, go a long way to realigning us with Christ. Specifically dedicating time away from our busy schedules with Jesus allows us to settle and reflect. We learn and grow in these times, and as we exit moments with Jesus, we are strengthened for whatever is ahead of us. However long we choose to focus our time with Jesus, the results are astounding.
James calls us to put aside our sinfulness. He calls us to humility, to “receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls”. The message of Jesus Christ truly saves. He alone, by faith alone, restores us to intimacy with God.
As you go about your week ahead, if you find yourself stressed, angry or struggling to love people, return your focus on Jesus. It’s not enough to simply try to remove our sin and our troubles. We need to replace it with something. I like the way John Piper puts it in his book Desiring God:
“The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever.”
John Piper, Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist, Revised edition (Multnomah, New York: 2020), 28.
This week, seek to grow your joy in Jesus.
God bless.
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