"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.
22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
This passage is a tough one for me. "Slow to anger"???? I don't think that has ever described me. especially lately. I am dealing with a 3 almost 4 year old who has gone through too many changes in the last 6 months and is now testing us every chance she can. Talk about ANGER!!!!! I try to sit down with her and listen but I think I expect her to express herself as I would and when she doesn't I get very angry. Isn't it funny how God gives you a scripture you need to hear right when you need to hear it!
Be a doer not just a listener. That is simple and to the point. Why is it so hard for so many Christians to understand and obey?
There is a part in there that I have heard quit often, "look after orphans and widows in their distress" but I don't think I have ever heard the last part put quite like it is. If I have, I haven't paid attention, "and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. " How often are we polluted by the world we live in? I know I am way too often. Think of what you watch, listen to, see... Everyday pollutants are thrown at us. What do we do with them? Do we allow them to stick where everyone can see them or do we immediately clean it out and walk away?
I mean think about the sides of the road...everyday people throw trash out on the sides of the road. If someone never cleaned it up it would be overtaken by pollutants. We would be able to see all the trash. Soon it would be in the road too. It would effect our driving as we dodged trash. It would start to smell. Think of everything it would affect. Now thinkof your life. Do you allow the trash that comes at you to stay and start to overpower our lives? It will start to have an effect on everything! Our trash wll start to spill over into other lives. Is that what we want?
Heavenly Father, Today I ask you to help me clean up the trash in my life. I know that there are pollutants out there that are thrown my way every day. The choice is mine, whether to let them stay with me or whether I free myself of them to stay clean. Give me the strength and wisdom to know what is trash and get rid of it. I also ask Father, that you would help me become slow to anger. I want to love as you do! Please bless us this day. Amen.
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