It’s Time to Tend to the Soil

In James 1:19-21 I read, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 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.” (NIV)

Gardeners know that you can take the exact same seed and plant it in three different locations and get three different results. In one spot, you may get giant tomatoes. In another, you may get small tomatoes. And in a third, you may not get anything at all. What’s the difference? It’s not the seed; it’s the soil. The soil must be prepared for the seed. 

The same is true when I hear God’s Word. My heart has to be prepared for the Word. 

Church service is a great example of this. If I get up late, have trouble finding a parking spot, and are irritated as I rush into church, I’m probably not going to hear God’s voice! My heart is not prepared to receive God’s Word. 

That’s why two people may go to the same church service, sit side by side, and hear the same Scripture read and sermon preached. One will walk out thinking God really spoke to them, and the other won’t get anything at all out of the service. The heart of one person was prepared; the other’s heart wasn’t.

The Bible says, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 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” (James 1:19-21 NIV).

Scripture teaches that, for my heart to be prepared to receive God’s Word, I need to have four attitudes:

Be quiet. I can’t hear God if I’m talking. 

Be calm. I can’t rush God. If I’m frantic, I’m not going to hear him. The Bible says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” My translation of that is, “Sit down, and be quiet.”

Be clean. Before I can meet with God, I need to confess my sin to him and ask him for forgiveness.

Be humble. Be ready to do whatever God tells me from his Word. A prideful attitude won’t work. 

So the next time I’m going to spend time in God’s Word—whether that’s at church or in my quiet time at home—take time first to prepare my heart. You’ll be amazed at the difference it makes!

In my life, I’m often in a hurry, living based on a schedule. I quickly want to move through things to get to the other things.  I’ll need to consider allocating more time for the task. I need to prepare my heart. I have also just been so quick to jump into a quiet time study, that I’m not thinking about or considering my sins and asking for forgiveness. The best thing I can do is to allocate more time to what’s important, not just thinking of the task but time to prepare my heart. 

How Gentleness Calms Conflict

In review of Proverbs 15:1 I read,  “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (NIV)

It's hard to argue in a whisper. It's equally hard to argue with someone who insists on answering softly or gently. A rising voice and harsh words almost always trigger an angry response. To turn away wrath and seek peace, choose quiet, and gentle words.

When someone raises their voice against me, I raise my voice in response. Then they raise their voice higher, then I raise mine voice higher again. And the situation keeps escalating.

Some scientists suggest we do this because of mirror neurons in our brain meant to give us the ability to empathize with others and even mirror what they feel. But, unchecked, we can begin to mirror the anger and antagonism of someone in an argument.

Here’s a tip that will save me a lot of heartache and conflict: When others raise their voice, lower mine. This is called strength under control.

The Bible says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1 NIV).

Gentleness defuses conflict. It deescalates anger.

When someone raises their voice in anger, instead of getting defensive, practice gentleness. Let your gentle answer disarm the other person and diffuse the situation.

In summary, a gentle answer will turn away wrath, but a harsh word will just stir up anger. It's hard to argue with someone who insists on answering softly or gently. A rising voice and harsh words almost always trigger an angry response. To turn away wrath and seek peace, choose quiet, and gentle words. A tip that will save me a lot of heartache and conflict is when others raise their voice, lower mine. This is called strength under control. Gentleness will defuse conflict. It deescalates anger. When someone raises their voice in anger, instead of getting defensive, practice gentleness. Let your gentle answer disarm the other person and diffuse the situation.

Father, I want to seek to become sensitive when I am in an argument that is escalating. With the help of the Holy Spirit I want to look for ways to practice gentleness and not harshness. I ask you for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my tasks, my leadership and my interactions with others. I pray these things through your Son Jesus name, Amen.

Learning to Welcome God’s Word into My Life

In review of James 1:21 today, I'm read, “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.” (NIV)

James advises me to get rid of all that is wrong in my life and "humbly accept" the salvation message I have received, because it alone can save me.

In America, I can find the Bible all over, from grocery stores to motel rooms, in all shapes, sizes, styles, and translations. You can hear and read parts of it on the radio and TV and in books and magazines. While it’s everywhere, many still miss the blessings of it.

Why? Because its blessings are not automatic. James 1:21 says that to be blessed by the Bible, I have to “accept the word planted in me” (NIV). The word “accept” in that verse comes from a Greek hospitality term that means “to welcome.” If I’m going to be blessed by the Word of God, first I must welcome the Word into my life.

James provides four specific attitudes I need in order to welcome God’s Word.

First, be careful. He says, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak” (James 1:19 NIV). God gave me two ears and one mouth; I ought to listen twice as much as I talk. Being quick to listen and slow to speak gives me a careful attitude that’s ready to receive God’s Word.

Second, be calm. The next part of James 1:19 says, “and slow to become angry” (NIV). When I’m angry, I can’t hear much. But a calm attitude increases receptivity. When I’m getting ready to hear the Bible, whether that’s at church or in my own reading, take some time to prepare and make my heart calm, so that I’ll be able to hear God when he speaks.

Third, be clean. James tells us to “get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent” (James 1:21 NIV). The word “filth” here is actually a Greek word meaning “earwax.” When I have sin in my life, it blocks my hearing of God’s Word.

I clean out that filth by confession. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 KJV).

Fourth, be compliant. James says you should “humbly accept the word planted in you” (James 1:19 NIV). Be teachable and surrender to God. If you come to the Bible with a know-it-all attitude, his Word can’t get through. Come to the Bible with a willingness to be changed.

In summary, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you. This means I need to be ready to welcome the blessings of God’s Word into my life, I need to come with a careful, calm, clean, and compliant attitude. This will prepare me to receive God’s Word and welcome the blessing that it promises.

Father I must admit, that I’m not always careful, calm, clean or compliant when I study your Word. This morning I pray that I keep these things in mind for my quiet times with you. I ask for assistance from the Holy Spirit to keep this in mind. I also pray for wisdom and guidance for today's activities, tasks, meetings, leadership and interaction with others. I feel as if I’m not going to hear from my boss something that will make me happy. Prepare my heart to listen, consider and not become defensive. These things I pray in your Son Jesus name, Amen.