Hearer or Doer?

“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. ²³ For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: ²⁴ For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.” James 1.22-24

    You would think that such a statement as this would not be necessary, but the Holy Spirit put it in the Word of God: “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” I ask myself, “What does it mean to be a doer of the Word?” Seems like a simple enough question. A doer of the Word is one who does more than simply read the Scriptures. A doer of the Word is one who applies what he reads to his life. Application requires change when necessary. A doer of the Word is one who allows God’s Holy Spirit to drive the Word deep within his spirit, so he can change. A doer of the Word is one who takes the Bible at face value, without having to understand every minute detail before applying what we do understand.

    One who is a hearer and not a doer is described like this: “he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.” We don’t usually forget how we looked after we saw ourselves in the mirror. One who is a hearer and not a doer is one who is unwilling to take what he learns from the Bible and ask God to help him make the changes that will glorify God and not himself. Don’t just be a hearer. Be a doer. Just my thoughts …

Where Does Wisdom Begin?

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” Proverbs 9.10

    What IS the fear of the Lord? I’m sure each one of us has an opinion about that. I can tell you what it is not. It is NOT a fear that if I do something wrong, God is going to zap me. Rather, the fear of the Lord is the realization of the awesomeness of the God Who has chosen to be involved in our lives every day. Can you even grasp the truth that the God of the universe chooses every day to be involved in YOUR life? That simple truth amazes me. How could I NOT stand in awe of WHO He is as well as what He chooses to do I my life every day.

    Now, look at the whole phrase: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom … ” We are BEGINNING to get a hint of wisdom when we realize Who this God is and that He loves us enough to interact with us every day, many times a day. Remember who is writing this – Solomon, known as a man of wisdom. I don’t need to know how he discovered this but I’m sure there is a story there somewhere.

    “the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” The practicality of fearing the Lord is brought into play here … the knowledge of the holy. How do we develop that in our lives? First, we do it through God’s Word. Then we do it through the power of the Holy Spirit. But I believe there is one more element involved here, and that is the experience of walking with God daily and ALLOWING Him to teach us more about Himself. Remember this, the more you KNOW Him, the more you LOVE Him. Just my thoughts …

The Lord Is …

“But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.” 2 Thessalonians 3.3

    Paul gives us three very poignant statements in this verse. Let’s take a closer look: (1) the Lord is faithful, (2) the Lord shall stablish you, and (3) the lord will keep you from evil (literally the evil one).

    I don’t think anyone reading this doesn’t already know that the Lord is faithful. But in a practical sense, what does that mean to us? There will NEVER be a time when you will turn to Him in need and not find Him there. He IS FAITHFUL.  Next, He will stablish (strengthen) you. How many times, in a moment of weakness, have you cried out to Him for strength? If you are anything like me, you have done that many times. NEVER have I cried out for strength and God has failed to supply the strength I needed. That kind of confidence allows me to get through each day, even when I think I can’t.

    I think this last one is perhaps one of the most needed promises made to us: “But the Lord … (will) keep you from evil.” He is not speaking here about the presence of evil. We will in an evil world. He is speaking about the evil one, who is Satan. HOW will God do this? Let me suggest that He does this through His Word. He tells us of Satan’s strategies, his tricks, his tools, and his methods. Therefore, we need to spend time in God’s Word, learning what we need to know about our enemy. The more we know, the better we can withstand him. Another thing God does is use His Holy Spirit to guide us through each day, directing us down the path that pleases God, not self. In order for the Holy Spirit to guide us, we need to yield to Him every day. I hope that is part of your daily routine. Let’s thank Him for His willingness to be faithful, to strengthen us, and to keep us from the evil one. Just my thoughts …

A Real Friend!

“Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” Proverbs 27.17

    The other day I needed to use my axe for something and I discovered it needed to be sharpened. I laid It on my work bench thinking I would sharpen it later. When I came back to get it, it was as sharp as it could be. You believe that, don’t you. No, you don’t and neither do I. iron never sharpens iron accidentally. When I sharpen my axe, I get out the proper tools and take time deliberately to get my axe back into usable condition.

    So, when Solomon tells us that “Iron sharpeneth iron … ”, he is talking about something that someone does deliberately. I am thankful for the friends that God has placed in my life over these years who have been there when I needed to be sharpened. “so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” That is what a REAL friend does. He or she is not afraid to broach a difficult topic, if you need to hear something of a corrective nature. Usually, it is not WHAT we say, but HOW we say it. No one likes to hear, “You are so stupid. How could you do that.” But we will listen when a friend says, “You know, Jerry, I’m not sure that’s the best way to handle that problem. Let me suggest …” I’m ready to listen. My friend has my attention. “so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” I want to be that kind of friend to others. Don’t you? Let’s make it a point to be that kind of friend to those who are our friends. Just my thoughts …

Here Am I. Send Me!

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. ² Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. ³ There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.” Psalm 19.1 – 3

    This passage of Scripture amazes me, but it also challenges me. Everyone everywhere in this world can see the heavens and the firmament. The problem lies here. They may not have any idea who made them or how they got to be where they are. If I can take the psalmist’s words at face value, then “There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.” But what does the person hear who has no knowledge of God?

    Can you begin to grasp the magnitude of the issue that is facing the New Testament church today? We are called to take the Gospel “in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1.8b) I wonder if we really believe that there are parts of the “uttermost” that have never heard the Gospel? “It is estimated that of the 7.75 billion people alive in the world today, 3.23 billion of them live in unreached people groups with little or no access to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” (Global Frontier Missions) That is nearly half the world that is in an unreached people group. Staggering to say the least.

    So, what are you and I going to do about it? Are we going to pray for God to send some workers to these groups? Are we going to give so those whom God calls have the funds to go? Are we willing to go ourselves if God calls US? This is REAL folks and it isn’t going away. Just my thoughts …

What Is More Acceptable?

“To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.” Proverbs 21.3

    I think sometimes we get caught up in the idea of sacrifice for God and overlook the simple truth of obedience. Samuel made a similar statement in his first book: “And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.” 1 Samuel 15.22 Notice the phrase: “to obey is better than sacrifice … ” When parents are raising their children, the one thing they want from their children is obedience. A kid can do all kinds of “nice things” but fail to obey his parents and that is wrong.

    It’s like God is saying to the Israelites, “I see your sacrifices. And those are things you should be doing. But where is your obedience to what I am telling you?” When you and I read God’s Word and He gives us clear, unmistakable instructions, and we just ignore what He says, how can we expect Him to be pleased with us? How many times have you heard someone say, “What does the Bible say?” and when you tell them, their response is, “Well, I know what I believe.” When what you believe is different from what God says, guess who’s wrong? So, according to the verse above, we should do “justice and judgment” no matter the cost to us. That is what God wants. Just my thoughts …

A New Thing!

“Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43.19

    How many times has God done a “new thing” in your life? How many times have you thought, “Man, I’ve never seen anything like that before!”? Think about the time when Jesus and the disciples were in a boat going across the Sea of Galilee and a storm arose. Jesus was sleeping and the disciples were afraid. They woke Him up and said, “Don’t you care that we are going to all die?” In Mark 4.39 we read: “And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” As the disciples watched, they responded, “Who is this man? Even the wind and waves obey Him.” They saw Jesus do a “new thing”.

    “I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” When you think of a wilderness, what comes to mind? I envision a place that is nothing but trees, bushes, and everything else growing wild and there is no path to follow. Jesus says, “I will make a way IN THE WILDERNESS.” When you think of a desert, what do you envision? I see sand for as far as the eye can see and there is no water in sight. Jesus says, “I will even make … rivers in the desert.” Just let Jesus do whatever new thing He wants to do in your life today. You may be surprised, but you won’t be disappointed. Just my thoughts …

What Do You Hunger For?

“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5.6

    This verse is found in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. It is in a list of verses that are called the Beatitudes, or the attitudes of being. Jesus is giving His followers some practical instructions on what it takes to experience a life of joy.

    What does it mean to hunger and thirst after righteousness? When we hunger for something or thirst for something, we crave it. We want it badly. So, what is it that we should want badly? Righteousness, which is a life of right living. How does one KNOW what right living is and then how does one EXECUTE right living? I believe there is only one way and the final phrase hints at it.

    “they shall be filled.” The only way to live the righteous life, to hunger and thirst for it, is to be FILLED with God’s Holy Spirit. That is not some mystical piece of theology. We read these words in 1 Corinthians 6.19-20: “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? ²⁰ For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” Here is a significant truth. There is a difference between the Holy Spirit dwelling in your heart and being allowed to fill your heart – having full reign and control of your life. Everyone who is a believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Everyone who is a believer is not controlled by the Holy Spirit. That requires surrender and focus. You must choose. Just my thoughts …

The Valley Is Real – So Is God!

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” Psalm 23.4

    When you hear the phrase: “the valley of the shadow of death”, what goes through your mind? If you have lost a loved one or a close friend in death, you have some sense of that place, even though you may not have passed through it personally. Having been in ministry for over 60 years, I have been with many people as they were passing through the valley of the shadow. So, what do we learn from this verse?

   “I will fear no evil … ” There is no reason for fear. Most of our fear comes from HOW we are going to die. Death lasts about as long as it takes to snap your fingers. Then you wake up in heaven. Even though we fear those things that we cannot control, just remember that everything that is OUT of our control is under God’s control. David continues: “for thou art with me … ” We never walk through this valley alone. Our comfort must come from KNOWING that God is WITH us all the way through the valley.

    Whatever else the rod and staff were used for by the shepherd, in this particular situation, they bring comfort. If there is ever a time when you and I need comfort, it is while we are passing through the valley of the shadow of death. God KNEW what we would need and He is there to willingly supply that need for us. Having made all these observations from David’s words, we can approach this upcoming valley of the shadow of death with confidence, knowing that God will be with us ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE VALLEY! Praise His holy name. Just my thoughts …

A Different Way of Life!

“With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;” Ephesians 4.2

    Look carefully at the characteristics that Paul spells out for us to display in our relationship with others. I like this translation: “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love … ” When you look back and view your interactions with other people, especially believers, would you characterize those interactions in the way Paul describes? Humility is such a misunderstood word. I heard defined like this: “It is not thinking less of yourself. It is thinking of yourself less.” When I think about humility, I remember who I am and who God is and how amazed I am that God would choose to interact in my life every day. That simple thought is so humbling to me.

    We may not think of the word gentleness very much, but I think we would all agree that we want others to treat us with gentleness. In like manner, we should make it a point to treat everyone, not just family and friends, with gentleness. That requires intentionality and purpose. I am not going to do it accidentally or automatically. I can only do it through the power of the Holy Spirit as I yield to His control each day.

    And then there’s patience. I confess that my greatest struggles are in this arena. I am not proud of that and I am asking God on a regular basis to help me exercise patience with EVERYONE, not just certain people. You know, those people in front of you at the stop light, or those people in the line at the grocery store ahead of you, or you pick the place. Impatience comes when we feel like we are not in control. I am learning that I am not in control of most things, but God is in control of everything.

    Finally, “bearing with one another in love”. Just remember that love is a choice. This truth calls for us to CHOOSE to bear with other people in love. May God give us a tender spirit that will let us do that always. Just my thoughts …