The Patience of God – James 1: 20

…because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

I find it interesting that James says we should be “slow to become angry” instead of telling us not to get angry. Why? Is James saying it is okay to be angry if it is the slow kind? In today’s verse, James sheds a bit more light on what he meant by “angry.”

James distinguishes “human anger” and “slow anger.” So what is the difference? What is it about human anger that James doesn’t like? This is a situation where it helps to look at the underlying Greek to better understand what was meant.

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Spiritual Gemstones – James 1: 19 Part III

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry…

Once more we return to this amazing passage of scripture. It looks like a simple sentence on the surface, but as we dive into the text we find that every word is a gemstone in its own right. The value of these gems is magnified by the fact that they were written by the half brother of Jesus. A man who grew up knowing Jesus as his older brother and who did not believe in him or appreciate him until after Jesus rose from the dead and spoke with him.

Because of this life experience, James has special insight. He spent all his time living with the Son of God being slow to listen and quick to speak. Now he knows better. Besides, he knows one more thing: Be slow to become angry…

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