There are three sticks of behavioral dynamite that are sure to blow up any Christian’s testimony.
- Slow to listen
- Quick to speak
- Quick to get angry
If people in our families or workplaces or neighborhoods see us displaying these tendencies on a recurring basis, our Christian influence will vaporize into a frozen-in-place fog of failed testimony.
This does not have to be.
The world already has plenty of people characterized by the above.
What is needed are more people who do the opposite.
For don’t we all want people to treat us in such a fashion?
Willing to listen to us first before telling us what they think about our ideas or actions?
Willing to think carefully about how their words will be understood by us before they open their mouths?
Resisting the temptation to get angry just because a decision or conversation didn’t go their way?
James summed it up this way in the first chapter of his biblical letter:
“You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.” (verse 19).
It doesn’t matter how many scriptures we quote to others or how “churchy” we dress on Sunday or how many happy hour invitations we forgo, if we don’t heed James’ counsel here, we’re still gonna blow up our testimony.
And that means less people will see and hear the Good News of Jesus Christ and that means fewer people will consider becoming Christians.
Let’s do our best to do what James said.
For God’s sake.
As always, I love you
Martin
