Psalm 15 & James 1: 17–27

God of wisdom, teach us to utilise the gifts you have given us wisely, using them to build each other and your church.

Amen

Today’s message from the letter of the Apostle James is not justification by works, but justification that works. He insists that righteousness involves performance, not merely perception of truth. In fact, the entire book of James is a practical application of the principles of the Sermon on the Mount. In short, James is saying: do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves, do what it says!

James was a pragmatic fellow. He saw clearly that the majority of people were not moved by theoretical persuasion, but were looking for practical answers, for purpose and meaning, and for direction in the midst of ethical problems and challenges. Before he had even finished writing the first chapter, he says to his readers: now friends, be sure you know this, be a good listener, do not speak without caution, and be very careful about that temper which resides in each one of you. Every time I read this, passage, I feel tempted to shout preach, brother James, preach because this is very good advice, the kind you can take with you as you go about your daily work.

It has been pointed out that two out of every five people who have lost their jobs were dismissed because of their inability to handle personal relationships. Ponder that for a moment: it was not because they were incompetent, or because they were lazy, no! It was because they could not get along with other people.  How many of us would be a great success at work and at home if we were better listeners? If we gossiped less or spoke with greater care, and controlled our tempers? Be keen and careful listeners James advises. Hearing aids, public address systems and surgery may help people to hear better. But the ear of a sympathetic listener is able to help more than any mechanical gadget. The chief justice of a supreme court told of a time he had listened to a trainee solicitor pour out his heart for an hour and a half, without saying a word. As the young man stood to leave, he said thank you sir. You have been the greatest help of anyone I have ever known. No one else has ever taken the time to listen to me. By his compassionate listening, this top judge was saying: You are important to me; your message is of concern to me. You probably know this or not, but a sea turtle lays hundreds of eggs without anyone noticing and then goes back quietly to the ocean, but when a domestic hen lays just one egg, it broadcasts this to the whole world by cackling! Shush gal, its only one egg! People, be a turtle, talk less and listen more to others.

The second, thing James tells us is to be slow to speak: The power of speech differentiates us from the nonverbal animals. Yet the misuse of it can degrade us lower than them. Our speech is one of the most revealing aspects of our personality. What we talk about most easily, is what we think about most deeply in our hearts. The psalmist wrote: Praise the Lord, O my soul and forget not all his benefits he continued, upon his word will I meditate night and day.We are asked to examine our speech, for it reveals the innermost recesses of our hearts.

There is no faculty so capable of uplifting, enriching, and inspiring our fellow human beings as the power of speech. But how often do we have the gentlest and the kindest of words for strangers, and yet reserve the harshest, most cruel words for those we love?

If anyone considers themselves religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on their tongue, they deceive themselves and their religion is worthless says James in verse 26. In this age of constant chatter from twitter and other social media, we are told to examine the nature of our language. Is our speech destructive or does it bless and benefit those around us? Are our ears more attuned to gossip more than to the gospel? Think twice before you speak, and then stop to reconsider.

As Christians, we are given a high calling and a gift from above. This gift of speech carries with it obligations and expectations from the giver and the first test of these obligations comes in the form of speech. Listen to the writer of Proverbs again. Those who guard their mouth preserves their life, but those who open wide their lips, come to ruin.

Finally, James cautions us to be slow to anger. Look at the person next to you. You will notice they have two ears but only one tongue. The ears are open and exposed, but the tongue is caged, and I use that word deliberately. It is caged behind razor sharp teeth, and for a good reason! What is the reason? The tongue is a weapon of mass destruction, and it makes outrageous claims. We use it to express anger. But anger, is not a show of strength in a person when it is uncontrolled. On the contrary, it is an expression of human weakness. When anger mixes itself with unpleasant thoughts frequently, it stirs up the mud at the bottom of the soul.

But much of our anger is petty, too often rising out of selfishness and lack of maturity. Ok, maybe our feelings have been hurt, maybe our rights have been encroached for example when someone cuts you in traffic or jumps the queue in the supermarket or even takes your usual seat in church. Surely that does not give you a license, to see red and throw the dummy screaming uncontrollably like a spoilt brat! Be slow to anger!

But what makes you angry? The answers to that question will reveal your character. Certainly, to boil up inside and to lose control because of some minor personal injury, or because our self-esteem has been wounded, is not a mark of power or maturity. That is power converted into poison.

Psychologists tell us that the emotion of anger produces more immediate effects on the chemical balance of the body than any other emotion, including fear. And while the emotion itself may pass swiftly, the damage it causes does not. Uncontrolled anger is dangerous to our health. But my anger was all over in a minute, we say! So was the earthquake in Haiti, a few weeks ago. It lasted about 45 seconds. But have you seen the damage it caused, and the work of rebuilding and cleaning up which lies ahead?

The scriptures warn us constantly about the sinful nature of anger. In Christ, we have the perfect example of emotional control. When he was abused, humiliated, and nailed to the cross, he did not fight back but controlled his emotions and lovingly said; Father, forgive them! Be slow to anger. The ear, the tongue, and the temper, all three elements of our personal and physical anatomy, but for us as  Christians, even they must be subject to the rule of Christ in our lives. Do not ever say I did not warn you!

Amen