Are You Listening?

If the Lord gifted us two ears but one mouth, is He telling us something?

Image Source: jasonwhitehurst.org

By Khen Lim

“Mortified at what he had just said to the woman and catching her completely unaware, he peered into the mirror but all he could see was a monster. Was that him? Did he just let loose and caused all around him to consternate? In return he now felt a sense of horror and contrition. But it was too late. The words were out. And nobody could return them to his putrid mouth.”

The above paragraph could have come easily from any novel but it resonates for many of us because we know what it’s like to not engage our brains before we speak. Persistently through our lives, we have hurt many people simply because we don’t think and often, we do not step back and calm ourselves.

More likely than not, we don’t do enough listening. Instead we prefer to talk rather than use our auditory senses. If the Lord gifted us two ears but one mouth, is He telling us listening is more profound and precious than talking? He might be right.

When reading James 1:19-27, it helps to read from the beginning and end where you should end. When you do so, you understand that it begins with ‘listening’ and ends with ‘living’ (or ‘doing’). The starting bit says, “Let every man be swift to hear” or “quick to listen” (v19) while the ending suggests that we “be doers of the Word” (v22) and be the “kind of man” (v24). If we don’t get how James have encapsulated his message from front to back, then we’re missing the point. We could just end up reading but not understanding, which isn’t different from listening and not doing.

The Bible tells us that if we listen and learn but we don’t live what the Bible teaches, then we’d have failed God. To have understood but not apply what our Sunday sermons teach us is to completely waste the opportunities that the Holy Spirit has been breathing into us even as we set foot in church.

In these verses, James offers four valuable behavioural guides that connect the listening to the living. They’re all worth your attention:

1. To Listen, First Be Quiet

Do you remember your early grade schoolteacher admonishing you, saying, “You cannot talk and listen at the same time”? True, isn’t it? It might be why Paul said that only one speaker at a time should speak (1 Corinthians 14:22-40). It might also be why God often tells us to be quiet so we may listen. Consider what Habakkuk 2:20 says, “Let all the earth be silent before Him…” When everyone in the room talks at the same time, there’s only nonsensical noise.

2. Be Calm When Listening

The weakness of Man is that our feelings often get in the way of listening properly. Before the person finishes talking, we’re ready to wring his neck and give him the hairdryer treatment. James said, “…the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (v20). The best approach to listening carefully is to cast aside our inclination to inflame, to lay down our weapons, sit calmly and repose ourselves in good and friendly nature.

3. Mean Well When Listening

Not just that…try looking for constructive opportunities to learn so that we may improve our lot. Verse 22 says that we are to “lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness,” meaning that we must cast ourselves away from improper ruinous thoughts that inextricably lead to sin such as self-righteousness, cynicism, sneering, sniding and so on. Avoid behaving like we know everything would be a pretty good start.

4. Discern Learning from Living

When we fail to listen, we can’t learn. When we neither listen nor learn, we will never be doers of His Word. For to be a doer, we must have a proper understanding of what is said in the Bible.

In being a doer, we learn to live the Word in its fullest. That means we must translate all that head knowledge into practical living. A life that revolves around what we learn scripturally is a life that is rewarded by God’s blessings. This way we will be able to hear clearly the clarion call to live out His blessings daily.