James 1:19-21
19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
The Cowboys are Going to the Super Bowl!
The first week of the season is in the books and overreactions abound. While I don’t think that my Cowboy’s prediction is an overreaction, there are plenty of them to go around after just one game: “Mac Jones and Jordon Love will be top 5 QB’s”, “Tyler Allgeier will outscore Bijan Robinson in Fantasy points this year”, “I’m firing all my guys and for such a dismal showing”, or “I’m winning the Fantasy Football Super Bowl,” are just a few possible overreactions based on a limited amount of information.
As the weeks go on, we will have more data points on teams and players with which we can make informed decisions about who the best players and teams are. Being quick to listen and slow to speak is like that. Listening helps you gather more data points about a person or situation so you can make an informed decision on how you can minister to someone in their situation. Truly listening can help you understand and keep your anger in check.
Think about a time recently when you were quick to anger. If you are like me, listening and gathering more data points could have helped you produce the righteousness that God desires, instead of the raised-voice, over-the-top scolding I recently gave my son…confession is good for the soul! After an apology and an honest assessment of where things were, my anger was kept in check and I was closer to the humility needed to accept the word that had been planted in me.
Dear God,
Help me to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger.
In Jesus Name, Amen!
I also pray the Cowboys will win the Super Bowl, but there is a lot of football to be played still!
Stay tuned for the return of our Commissioners’ Report Podcast next week.. You can catch up on old episodes here.
Pastor Ray is the Pastor of Worship and Administration at First Baptist Church Weslaco. He manages the Elisha’s Bears Fantasy Football team in the Baptist Ballers League. His 124 points were the second highest in the league this past week…an impressive feat being that his starting QB was Aaron Rodgers! He also apologized to his son, gave him a hug and told him he is really appreciative of the man he has become.