Read: James 1: 19-20

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Reflect:

Are you a good listener?

Some time ago, I  spent an hour or so in a listening workshop designed to help me interact more effectively with my customers.

The truth is that most of us are more than a little lacking in our listening skills. I know that I am easily distracted and often have my own agenda. I interrupt the other person and often spend more time talking than listening.

Someone came up with the clever quote: “You have two ears and one mouth for a reason.” Listen twice as much as you talk. Like most quotes, it is easier said than done.

Think about it from a spiritual perspective. Are you listening to what God is trying to say to you?

Respond:

Yesterday I wrote about Cain. Cain heard directly from God. Not an angel or his parents or his brother. Cain heard God’s voice directly but he did not listen. He went his own way.

While most of us will not hear an audible voice, we do have a book full of God’s direction for our lives.

A second quote today said that “we should seek to understand rather than be understood.”

It’s something to think about, wouldn’t you agree?