JourneyMen Retreat - September 9-11, 2011
Only $60 - One or Two Nights!
"My Dear Brothers, Take Note of This" - James 1:19-25
19 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life 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 a man 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 the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.
Let everyone be quick to listen. We all need to listen to is God’s Word (1:18). The expression quick to listen is a beautiful way of capturing the idea of active listening. We are not simply to refrain from speaking; we are to be ready and willing to listen. Quick also implies a readiness to obey what we hear. We often find the attitude among believers that the speaker is entirely responsible for getting the people to listen by being entertaining, relevant, and engaging. James shifts the responsibility back to the audience. This “quick” listening is obviously to be done with discernment. We are to check what we hear with God’s Word. If we don’t listen both carefully and quickly, we are liable to be led into all kinds of false teaching and error.
Slow to speak. Quick to listen and slow to speak should be taken together as sides of the same coin. Slowness in speaking means speaking with humility and patience, not with hasty words or nonstop gabbing. Constant talking keeps a person from being able to hear. Wisdom is not always having something to say; it involves listening carefully, considering prayerfully, and speaking quietly. When we talk too much and listen too little, we communicate to others that we think our ideas are much more important than theirs. James wisely advises us to reverse this process. We need to put a mental stopwatch on our conversations and keep track of how much we talk and how much we listen.
Slow to anger. Anger closes our minds to God’s truth It is anger that erupts when our egos are bruised—“I am hurt”; “My opinions are not being heard.” It is just the kind of anger that rises from too much fast talking and not enough quick listening!
When injustice and sin occur, we should become angry because others are being hurt. But we should not become angry when we fail to win an argument, or when we feel offended or neglected. Selfish anger never helps anybody.
Join JourneyMen for its 9th semi-annual retreat as we listen and grow together in God’s Word. You will meet other Christian men, who like you, deal with the daily struggles of the world. Come and enjoy a relaxing weekend with great food bringing together one exciting weekend. Stay Friday night or Friday and Saturday night for one price.
Officially the retreat starts Friday at 6pm; you are welcome to arrive earlier and enjoy the day. Following our closing service on Saturday evening, the retreat officially ends and “Guy's Night” begins. Alcohol is allowed after 5pm Saturday - no earlier. If you have any questions regarding the retreat please feel free to contact Rod Lindemann at rodl@timothylutheran.com.
Rod Lindemann – Timothy Lutheran Ministries
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