16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
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. (James 1)
Sometimes we treat James the way we do Proverbs - as if it is a hodgepodge of wise sayings thrown together in random order, with no pattern or progression of thought. But that is far from the case. Consider the two paragraphs above. In the first, God is faithful to answer our prayers and provide what we need. He has implanted His word into our lives to bring about Christ-like change. The next thought is not disjointed, but related. God wants our anger to be under control, not to control us. He wants us to ask Him for victory in that area of our lives, implant His truth about it, and receive His gift of a life with anger under control. This is in a sense what God often does: a commandment with promise, but here the promise comes first: God gives every gift that produces character; therefore, pursue Godly character in controling your anger. Ask Him for it.
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