God is not pleased with "talkers"
Morning those few and far between beside myself who take an interest in this blog. But, beyond the blog's state of popularity, it is a sunny day, clear and crisp and full of the songs of birds who've discovered the freedom of flight. Well, except for the geese, as goose hunting season began today... I awoke to several gung-ho shots this morning and somehow got it in my head that someone had played a prank on another by filling their car with popcorn.
Today, I studied of how talk and hearing don't earn you a special place in God's heart, which I had learned from Ecclesiastes 5. To get an additional perspective on this, I turned to James 1:19-25. In this passage, I was specifically looking at the well known portion, "Do not be merely hearers of the word. Do what it says" (My own paraphrase version from memory). I also love the illustration of a man who looks in the mirror, and when the mirror is gone, he cannot recall what kind of person he was. The word "look" does not mean "glanced". This looking is a studious act of familiarizing yourself with one’s features. Just as those who listen to God’s word do so attentively to understand what they are hearing. Yet, when the man goes away, he goes away forgetful in an “out of sight, out of mind” attitude—an unacceptable way to perceive God’s truth.
One who congratulates himself for reading or hearing, without putting ever putting that truth into practice, deceives himself by assuming that what he’s done is all that is needed to earn a position of high regard with God. Contrarily, when one who has heard does not act on that hearing, he puts himself in a vulnerable position indeed—for the responsibility is greater for those who have heard than for those who have not. Therefore, put into practice what you profess to believe.
This is the incredibly hard task I am reminding myself of today. I can pat myself on the back for church attendance, breathe a sigh of relief that I made it through chapel, and feel good about myself when I read a chapter of the Bible each day. But if that's all I did, I am blinding myself to what it means to be an effective doer; I am merely being a forgetful hearer. So, as I head to chapel, which I must do right away if I'm going to make it on time, I go with one ready to become familiar with the features of God's word, and with an attitude of humility and prayer as I ask God to help me invest His truth into the practice of life. Also, I pray that I would not allow distraction and my own daydreams, worries, and trivial mind talks (you know the kind that you have when after a long sermon you realized the only thing you learned was that you wanted to buy St. Ives body wash when you go to Walmart later) to cloud my brain, because one who is talking will never hear another’s counsel, including God’s.
Today, I studied of how talk and hearing don't earn you a special place in God's heart, which I had learned from Ecclesiastes 5. To get an additional perspective on this, I turned to James 1:19-25. In this passage, I was specifically looking at the well known portion, "Do not be merely hearers of the word. Do what it says" (My own paraphrase version from memory). I also love the illustration of a man who looks in the mirror, and when the mirror is gone, he cannot recall what kind of person he was. The word "look" does not mean "glanced". This looking is a studious act of familiarizing yourself with one’s features. Just as those who listen to God’s word do so attentively to understand what they are hearing. Yet, when the man goes away, he goes away forgetful in an “out of sight, out of mind” attitude—an unacceptable way to perceive God’s truth.
One who congratulates himself for reading or hearing, without putting ever putting that truth into practice, deceives himself by assuming that what he’s done is all that is needed to earn a position of high regard with God. Contrarily, when one who has heard does not act on that hearing, he puts himself in a vulnerable position indeed—for the responsibility is greater for those who have heard than for those who have not. Therefore, put into practice what you profess to believe.
This is the incredibly hard task I am reminding myself of today. I can pat myself on the back for church attendance, breathe a sigh of relief that I made it through chapel, and feel good about myself when I read a chapter of the Bible each day. But if that's all I did, I am blinding myself to what it means to be an effective doer; I am merely being a forgetful hearer. So, as I head to chapel, which I must do right away if I'm going to make it on time, I go with one ready to become familiar with the features of God's word, and with an attitude of humility and prayer as I ask God to help me invest His truth into the practice of life. Also, I pray that I would not allow distraction and my own daydreams, worries, and trivial mind talks (you know the kind that you have when after a long sermon you realized the only thing you learned was that you wanted to buy St. Ives body wash when you go to Walmart later) to cloud my brain, because one who is talking will never hear another’s counsel, including God’s.
yes, so true. me too.
ReplyDeletethe verse: "Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin." (James 4:17) comes to mind.