Quick to Listen and Slow to Speak

Read: James 1:16-27 NLT – So don’t be misled, my dear brothers – Bible Gateway

“Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.” James 1:19, 22 NLT

Have you heard the expression ‘foot in mouth’? Perhaps you know the meaning of it all too well. For those who don’t, ‘foot in mouth’ is saying something embarrassing or inconsiderate at an inappropriate time. We must admit we have all been there. It is mostly unintentional, but it doesn’t relieve the awkwardness of the situation. One of biggest reasons for us putting our foot in our mouth is failing to listen. Our minds race ahead wanting to give a clever answer thinking we know it all, or we are totally oblivious not paying attention which will soon be found out by our response.

A slip of the tongue will happen accidentally from time to time, yet most can be prevented by following James’ advice to ‘be quick to listen and slow to speak.’ This is especially true in our spiritual conversations with others. Our attention is to be devoted to the person speaking to us at the time. Listening carefully and slowly preparing our thoughts on how to respond will avoid any embarrassment.

James is not only referring to how we listen to others in this passage, on the contrary, he is also referring to and more importantly, how we listen to God through His Word. He encourages us to humbly accept the Word of God planted in our hearts, being quick not only to listen, but to do all it says. To be careful when we do speak to others that we have an accurate understanding of what God’s Word says. The one who listens intently will progress in their spiritual growth and will be in a better position to help others understand the Word as we are quick to listen and slow to speak.