Hearing and Doing!
James 1:22-25 “But prove yourselves doers of the Word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effective doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does.”
I had a terrible shock not long ago. I looked in the mirror and saw this old man looking back at me. I wanted to report it to the authorities before I realized that it was me! Ah, where have the years gone?
In today’s Scripture James uses an illustration of a mirror. As I read this passage for the umpteenth time, I suddenly saw something I had never seen before. It is only as we look into God’s mirror that we see ourselves as God sees us.
Imagine placing a dab of healing ointment on a sore spot on your face and then covering it with a Band-Aid -- just until you leave the house. You meant to take it off before you left the house, but guess what? You forgot to remove it! People looked in a questioning way, but after wearing the Band-Aid for awhile it had become a part of you and you forgot it was there!
There is an old gospel song that quartets used to like to sing (some still do). It was about the valley of dry bones which the prophet Ezekiel saw. The groups used to make a big production over attaching one bone to the other, and finally they would have the skeleton attached and ready to come to life when God breathed life into them. Go back to the book of Ezekiel 37:1-10, and read all of the details of this prophecy that was given to Ezekiel.
That is the picture that came to me. If you go out into public, you may well encounter snickers and fingers being pointed your way. How much more tragic it is for those who have looked into God's Holy Word, fully intending to act upon it, but never get around to doing it. Sad, sad, the bitter wail, almost, but lost.
I want to tell you that God is near and knows what we need. Even when we deny Him, or turn our back on Him, He never forsakes us, but is always there to hear our cry for salvation. I once received an e-mail from some friends which spoke of God's nearness to us:
THAT'S GOD
"Have you ever been just sitting there and all of a sudden you feel like doing something nice for someone you care for... THAT'S GOD... He talks to you through the Holy Spirit.
Have you ever been down and out and nobody seems to be around for you to talk to... THAT'S GOD... He wants you to talk to him.
Have you ever been thinking about somebody that you haven't seen in a long time and then next thing you know you see them or receive a phone call from them... THAT'S GOD... there is no such thing as 'coincidence.'
Have you ever received something wonderful that you didn't even ask for, like money in the mail, a debt that had mysteriously been cleared, or a coupon to a department store where you had just seen something you wanted, but couldn't afford... THAT'S GOD... he knows the desires of your heart...
Have you ever been in a situation and you had no clue how it is going to get better, but now you look back on it... THAT'S GOD... he passes us through tribulation to see a brighter day..."
Pastor Cecil A. Thompson
James 1:22-25 “But prove yourselves doers of the Word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effective doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does.”
I had a terrible shock not long ago. I looked in the mirror and saw this old man looking back at me. I wanted to report it to the authorities before I realized that it was me! Ah, where have the years gone?
In today’s Scripture James uses an illustration of a mirror. As I read this passage for the umpteenth time, I suddenly saw something I had never seen before. It is only as we look into God’s mirror that we see ourselves as God sees us.
Imagine placing a dab of healing ointment on a sore spot on your face and then covering it with a Band-Aid -- just until you leave the house. You meant to take it off before you left the house, but guess what? You forgot to remove it! People looked in a questioning way, but after wearing the Band-Aid for awhile it had become a part of you and you forgot it was there!
There is an old gospel song that quartets used to like to sing (some still do). It was about the valley of dry bones which the prophet Ezekiel saw. The groups used to make a big production over attaching one bone to the other, and finally they would have the skeleton attached and ready to come to life when God breathed life into them. Go back to the book of Ezekiel 37:1-10, and read all of the details of this prophecy that was given to Ezekiel.
That is the picture that came to me. If you go out into public, you may well encounter snickers and fingers being pointed your way. How much more tragic it is for those who have looked into God's Holy Word, fully intending to act upon it, but never get around to doing it. Sad, sad, the bitter wail, almost, but lost.
I want to tell you that God is near and knows what we need. Even when we deny Him, or turn our back on Him, He never forsakes us, but is always there to hear our cry for salvation. I once received an e-mail from some friends which spoke of God's nearness to us:
THAT'S GOD
"Have you ever been just sitting there and all of a sudden you feel like doing something nice for someone you care for... THAT'S GOD... He talks to you through the Holy Spirit.
Have you ever been down and out and nobody seems to be around for you to talk to... THAT'S GOD... He wants you to talk to him.
Have you ever been thinking about somebody that you haven't seen in a long time and then next thing you know you see them or receive a phone call from them... THAT'S GOD... there is no such thing as 'coincidence.'
Have you ever received something wonderful that you didn't even ask for, like money in the mail, a debt that had mysteriously been cleared, or a coupon to a department store where you had just seen something you wanted, but couldn't afford... THAT'S GOD... he knows the desires of your heart...
Have you ever been in a situation and you had no clue how it is going to get better, but now you look back on it... THAT'S GOD... he passes us through tribulation to see a brighter day..."
Pastor Cecil A. Thompson
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