James 1:19-20 says, “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”
So then. What does James mean by these two simple words? I think he means “because of this.” But because of what? Well, he tells us that God brought us forth by the Word of Truth, so that we might be a kind of first fruits of His creatures.
So then, or because of this, we should talk a lot less than we do. We should be quick to hear more than what we allow ourselves to hear. We should be very slow to be brought to points of wrath or anger that is acted out towards others. Wrath and anger come to us more easily because we do not want to be quieted.
And why is all this important? Because the wrath of His first fruits does not produce the righteousness of God. So then, if we are really the first fruits of His work, we must accept that our work is to be producers of His righteousness more than promoters of our own.
You are a producer of the things that you hear and understand. God wants us to learn to be quieted so that we can hear more from Him and learn more from Him and understand more about Him. But why is this so hard for us to do? Why can’t we keep our mouths shut more and keep our ears, eyes and hearts open more?
I believe it is because we want to be understood more than we want understanding. We want to teach more than we want to learn. We want to do our work through God more than we want Him to do His work through us.
Proverbs 18:2 says, “A fool has no delight in understanding, but in expressing his own heart.”
Doing our work through the Lord is not what it means to be a producer. A producer is one who lets the work of God work within so that this work produces the righteousness God wants.
A producer is someone who can be quieted so they can gain more understanding.
A producer is someone who can be quieted so that they can hear the unspoken.
A producer is someone who can be quieted so they can learn to respond to God more than to react to man.
A producer is someone who can be quieted so they can learn to speak in the quiet of holding their tongues.
A producer is someone who can be quieted so that by their knowledge they spare their words to a few.
A producer is someone who can be quieted so they show their understanding through a calm spirit.
A producer is someone who can be quieted so that others can see the work of righteousness that God has produced in them.
If you have to say more than you understand, others will see you for your foolishness. If you cannot learn to be quieted it is likely you have learned to be like one who seeks more to do your own work through God rather than to allow the Lord to produce the fruits of His work in you.
Quiet yourself. Open your ears. Open your heart. Kill the presence of even a little desire to be angry about anything. Shut your mouth except for when you are eating. When you do these things, others will see the work of God in you. They will see you for your wisdom and understanding rather than for your folly.
Learn to be quieted.
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