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James 1:19–27 (ESV)
19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. 26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
In a recent book, pastor and author Levi Lusko made an interesting observation. He learned that it takes the cooperation of 72 different muscles to produce speech. On average, 16,000 words come out of your mouth every day. That adds up to a whopping 860.3 million words in the average American lifetime. Lusko then asks an interesting question, “What do all the nouns, verbs, adjectives, and sentences say about your life and the condition of your heart?”
I think that’s James's question in our passage, as he highlights the word “word” three times.
First, James hits on words spoken in anger versus the words planted in humility. James shares an interesting proverb in this regard, “Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.” (vs. 19). This is a commonplace truth that resonates just as much with us today as it did in that cultural context. Human anger has taken root in the life of the church that received James’ letter, and it’s creating a problem because, as James notes, human anger is at odds with God’s righteousness.
However, speech only reveals what’s in a person’s heart which is why James calls for a total renovation of the heart. James, in no uncertain terms, calls us to put away all the nastiness and garbage that is running rampant in our hearts.
But even that is not enough. To simply get rid of something only creates a vacuum that will eventually be filled with something else, so James encourages us to humbly receive the word planted in us, which is able to save our souls. Remember that the “word” is Jesus Himself (John 1), and as He takes up residence in our hearts and minds, we are changed and transformed by His presence and our growing relationship with Him.
The second time James speaks about the word, it’s regarding hearing the word versus the word in action. James encourages us to take a good, long look at the perfect law, the law that sets you free. What James is referring to is the message about Jesus and to allow that message to take deep root in your heart. In doing so it will free you from the mess of your old life and replace it with new life in Christ. That goes hand in hand with what Jesus said in John 8:31-32. “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
The third time James speaks about the word it’s to describe a very practical picture of the word in practice. This is what it looks like when the word is planted in a person’s heart; they care for and help people that God cares for. Just like the Lord, these folks who have the word planted in their hearts are moved to compassion and action for the widow and the orphan and the throwaways of the culture.
For James, the heart matters, and what matters most is that the word, the message about God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness, His story revealed in and through is His Son, Jesus, that this word is planted, nurtured, growing, and flourishing in a person’s heart.
So what’s planted in your heart? What do your words reveal about what’s planted in your heart?
If you don’t like what you’re seeing (or hearing!), it’s ok. Jesus already knows and get this, He is waiting for you to turn to Him, to work with Him on the soil of your heart, and plant something astoundingly good.
God bless you, and know that you are constantly in my prayers.
Scott
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