James 1:22-25
My dad enjoyed history, he was a reader and studied the past,
but he was not very hopeful that we as a people would learn from history. Dad often said, if we learned anything
from history then we would not repeat it, but in that we do not, we are
destined to have the same results.
As I read James 1:22-25, it seemed to be comparable with dads thoughts
on history. “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only,
deceiving yourselves. For if
anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks
intently at his natural face in a mirror.
For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was
like. But the one who looks into
the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets
but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”
I am not addressing non-Christians; in fact let me go so far
as not even addressing the Easter, Christmas, and the W’s, and F’s, (Weddings
and Funerals) groups, in this message.
What about those who attend and support our local church, which study
the Scriptures, are we hearers of the word, and not doers? Do we often look into the Scriptures
and agree that our lifestyle and the way we treat our mate and co-workers is
not in keeping with the instruction in the manufacturer’s handbook on living
life on planet earth. Much less,
how we handle the resources that our Father in heaven has blessed us with. Are you and I learners or
repeaters? My favorite person of
all the people I worked for was Kim Mulvey, and one of Kim’s favorite sayings
was that “We manage ourselves, or that person is just managing themselves,”
that is what I’m doing as I write, often I’m a hearer of the word, but not a
doer, often I’m like a man in the mirror who looks and then forgets what he is.
My dad had many faults but the older I get, the more I think
about his wisdom. In his
discipline he always gave the second chance, but after that came a consistent
judgment. So if you identified
with any of this writing it is so important to know that God is about second
chances, and His desire is to make us into the likeness of His Son, to have
fellowship with us. He has sent
prophets, preachers and teachers to remind us to be doers not just hearers,
look at Deuteronomy 4:9, some will need to go to the non highlighted part of
the Bible to find this verse. “Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that
you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your
heart as long as you live. Teach
them to your children and to their children after them.” That sounds like the advice
from someone who cares for us, and it is, but does it not also expose us who go
by the name Christian, many of us let someone else teach our children, and many
of us went to church, many of were hearers but not doers, we were like a person
who looks into a mirror, and then goes away and forgets whose they are.
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
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