James 1:19, 22, 23, 26 NIV
“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.
“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.
“See it at YouVersion.com:http://bible.us/Jas1.19.NIV
Integrity is a trusted character. A trusted character is that which does what it says. James is teaching us how to develop stress free living alongside others by watching our tongue. Have you been in a situation where you have life changing information to pass on to a friend, and as you began to give the message, you shut down, and at the end when things went bad, you took the blame? Have you been wrongly judged simply because you are making your impute to correct a friend? Has a friend told you to trust him or her, but in the end, there is no reason to have anything to do with such a person? I’m sure there are many things going on in your mind at this point, but I hope you can relate to this.
James reminds us that those that aren’t willing to hear others out, often makes a lot of mistakes, are easily angry, pompous, and lacks integrity. Speaking wisdom not only educates, but also empowers your listeners. Anger that pre-judges others is a sin! This says you’re selfish, not willing to learn from others, and lack the ability to teach others.
Knowing the truth and not living in truth is sinful and lacks integrity!. It does not represent the Christian life that Jesus Christ teaches. Be careful of what you say to others, how you say it, and consider the reasons you are saying it. As a check, flip the conversations and ask yourself; ‘If what I say to others is said to me, will I like it?” If yes, you are ok, but if no, do to others what you want others to do to you! Make changes and do the right thing. That is integrity. That is Christianity that leads the way.
Remember what it means to be a Christian. You must be able to master your words, actions, and will. Accept responsibility for your actions. There is no blame game! With these tools, you will overcome your enemies’ distracting tactics, discern spiritual attacks, identify your true friends and stabilize your goals and objectives.
Study the word, and pray for God’s strength to practice daily. Always be mindful that Salvation is personal, and only you can work it out through wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. May God bless you as you continue to reform. Amen. Stay strong!
Scripture of the day: Better a poor man who lives with integrity than a rich man who distorts right and wrong ~ (Prov. 28:6).
From Pastor Peter Okereke Jr.
TLWMI (c) Copyright Reserved, 2011
well said! i’m no christian but i do appreciate the lesson being taught here. thanks for an interesting post!
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I liked your blog so very much I pressed it into my blog, outstanding job!
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Thank you!