Be a Microwave and a Crock Pot

If you stop and think about it, every kitchen appliance you own has its own unique characteristics and purpose for your kitchen. That being said, some of them operate at different speeds. Take for instance the microwave and the crock pot. The microwave is designed to heat foods quickly, taking less of our precious time so we don’t have to spend it waiting on the oven. The crock pot on the other hand is designed to cook food slowly so food will be tender. You can put something in the crock pot and leave it while you’re working and not touch it until you’re ready to eat that night. Both of these appliances have a purpose in your kitchen. In these instances, it’s good to be quick and slow.

Did you know Christianity was like that? In the book of James we read: “…let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God” (Jas. 1:19-20). This morning the title of the sermon is “Be a Microwave and a Crock Pot.” Let us examine the need for Christians to apply these principles to our lives and see how we can be a microwave and a crock pot when it comes to listening, speaking and anger.

First, we need to be quick to hear.

Remember the story of Little Red Riding Hood? Fast forward to the part where Grandma has gone to gather cresses from the brook, so the wolf dressed up like Grandma and hopped in the bed. Little Red Riding Hood walks in and comments about the wolf’s big ears. The wolf replies “the better to hear you, my dear, the better to hear you” (Grimm 21). The Disney elephant, Dumbo got made fun of because of his big ears until people realized he could fly. Sometimes big ears are an asset.

They are definitely an asset for Christians. I’m not talking about having big, physical ears. Christians need to be a listening people. You learn more when you listen to others. The writer of Proverbs tells us that giving an answer before you hear is folly and shame (Prov. 18:13). I know I’m guilty of this many times, and you might can relate to this. Often I find myself listening to someone else talk, only to want to proceed with what I want to tell them. By doing this, I have already turned off my listeners. Elsewhere the preacher would say “make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding” (Prov. 2:2). If we want to be understanding, we need to be listening.

Marriage classes and counselors will often stress the importance of practicing active listening. Instead of having someone talk to you where you simply nod your head in response, they want to know you are listening. Active listening includes finding ways to let the person who’s doing the talking know you are listening with statements from you such as “so what you’re saying is…” and sometimes maybe just throwing in a word or two to acknowledge what they are saying. Let’s make sure we are listening so we can understand what others are saying. Christians need to be quick to hear.

Second, we need to be slow to speak.

A long time ago I used to go by on Friday afternoons and play Skip Bo with some of the residents at Poplar Estates. An older sister in Christ named Hae Gentry was someone who said very little. As I enjoyed going mostly for the social interaction, I was still trying to learn the game. An observation I made was that Hae was winning most every hand of cards we played. I asked after one game why she won so much. She laughed at me and said “You talk too much. Be quiet and pay attention more!” That was a reminder to me that sometimes we can run our mouths too much.

Christians need to be slow to speak. Sometimes you’ve heard of putting the cart before the horse? Sometimes our mouths are running faster than our brains, and that will get us into trouble. One of the problems with speaking quickly includes saying things we don’t mean. If you are slow to speak you are more apt to say what you mean and mean what you say. Another of the problems of speaking quickly is saying words untimely. Timing is everything, especially with speech. Solomon said “Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances” (Prov. 25:11). If we will think before we speak, we can avoid many pitfalls of the tongue. “The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things” (Prov. 15:28).

Consider some other words from ancient wisdom found in Guy N. Woods commentary on James:

• "Speech is silver; silence is golden"
• "The ears are always open, ever ready to receive instruction; but the tongue is surrounded with a double row of teeth, to hedge it in and to keep it within proper bounds”
• Xenocrates said “I have sometimes had occasion to regret that I have spoken, never that I was silent”…”talk little, and work much”
• Socrates once was approached by a young man who wanted to be taught oratory and after the young man kept rattling off at the mouth Socrates said he would charge the young man double. When the young man asked why, Socrates said “I shall have to teach you two sciences; first, how to hold your tongue, and second, how to use it” (Woods 75)

There is wisdom in restraining what we say as we can avoid many transgressions by doing so (Prov. 10:19). Also consider that “The one who guards his mouth preserves his life; the one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin” (Prov. 13:3). Some people in life and even in the church are like the largemouth bass. They never seem to understand when to keep their mouths shut. Don’t be the kind of person who is known in the congregation as the largemouth bass. Be slow to speak. We’ve got two ears and one tongue. It may be there is a reason for that, use your ears more than your mouth. Be slow to speak.

Third, be slow to anger.

Remember the television show  The Incredible Hulk? Dr. David Banner was the character played by Bill Bixby who would turn into a green muscle-maxed creature when angered or outraged, caused by an overdose of gamma radiation. A reporter named Jack McGee is constantly trying to get to the bottom of what’s going on. Dr. Banner tells Mr. McGee “don’t make me angry; you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQsJtkk-NGQ)

Anger is an emotion that we all feel at some point, but it needs to be kept in check. It can be a good thing. Remember when Jesus cleansed the temple with the scourge of cords because the moneychangers had turned it into a den of thieves (Jn. 2:14ff)? The Apostle Paul says in quoting Psalms 4:4 “be angry, and yet do not sin…” (Eph. 4:26). There is such a thing as righteous indignation that can be used in a proper way. However, there are times anger can be a bad thing. From our text today, we read “…the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God” (Jas. 1:20). When people get angry, they have a tendency to lose their common sense. Their judgment is blurred. They do things they wouldn’t normally do. One proverb says “…he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding” (Prov. 17:27).

One of the qualifications of an elder in Titus 1:7 is “…not quick-tempered.” There is much good about a person who has a long fuse. Don’t be someone with a hair-trigger of a temper. I was by Gateway Tire and Service Center the other day and the movie 55 Days at Peking with Charlton Heston was on the TV. There was a scene in the movie where a long fuse had been set to blow up an artillery bunker. I don’t remember why, but there was a need to stop the fuse. Those who attempted to do so were able because the fuse was long. It could be put out before there was an explosion. We need more people with long fuses where they can be put out before there are explosions of anger. Are there reasons for anger? Certainly. However, keep in mind what Benjamin Franklin said: “Anger is never without a reason, but seldom with a good one.”

So, this morning when it comes to hearing and listening some of you are microwaves. You don’t want to be a slow listener; be attentive and receptive with your ears to be a quick hearer. When it comes to speaking, be a crock pot. Don’t shoot off at the mouth. Be slow to speak. When it comes to anger, be a crock pot. Don’t have a quick fuse. Certain things in the kitchen are better when they’re faster: boiling water, toaster ovens, microwaves. Our speech and anger should not be like these. When you cook meat in the crock pot, it’s tender and savory. People who are slow to speak and slow to anger are this way. The presentation is more savory to those who are on the receiving end. Be a microwave and a crock pot. Let’s make sure we are trying to achieve the righteousness of God.