I looked at myself in the mirror for a long time wondering, “Are
all those critics right? Are those life-long convictions just ‘old man’ stuff,
worn out, tired ideas to be tossed?”
Such introspection is not an entirely a bad thing. It keeps us honest. I do not want to turn into a man encrusted in
tradition, incapable of reflection, unwilling to grow in my understanding of
the Word and world in which I live. So
the voices that insist that I must discard that conviction, rewrite that
passage of Scripture, conveniently replace long-held doctrine with a new
revelation that accommodates my culture get stuck inside my head and sometimes
they nearly silence me. In prayer,
humbly waiting on God, I regain courage. I am not arrogant nor am I choosing to
retreat into the comfortable past. I
will remain a student of the Word, seeking the voice of the Spirit, while I continue
to surround myself with the people of God in His Church.
In this passage from James I find instruction for living wisely
in among the turbulence of our time. "Understand
this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to
speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness
God desires. So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly
accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save
your souls. But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says.
Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and
don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself,
walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the
perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget
what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. If you claim to be
religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your
religion is worthless. Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father
means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the
world corrupt you." (James 1:19-27, NLT)
What is the eternal wisdom here?
First, I must keep on
listening… to God’s Spirit, to the criticisms and commendations, to those who
agree and those who dispute. In my conversations I must always ask myself if I am
trying to learn or simply wanting to be right.
Second, I must moderate
the impulse to grow angry. Under pressure, when motive is questioned, anger
can arise. God says it will not produce anything good. So, I must let it go.
Third, I must be
accountable to God and deal with my own sin!
Fourth, I must do the
Word, not just talk the Word. The strongest
rebukes that Jesus spoke were to those He called ‘hypocrites’ because they did
not practice what they preached. None of us is flawless in our practice of
faith and never will be on this side of Heaven.
Do we hide our failures? If we do, we turn into hypocrites. If we are
authentic, we will develop into the ‘beauty of holiness.’
Fifth, I keep
pursuing God by deeply loving others and growing in devotion to Him. One of the false choices we find presented to
us is between a social gospel that reshapes our world by bringing better lives
for others and the Gospel that converts the sinful and saves the lost. It is no
choice at all. Christians are to be
concerned both about human well-being and sin. Our Gospel opens the door to a
home in Heaven and leads us to concern for those who suffer, right now.
Christian, we can live boldly. Does this mean we must shout
every conviction, condemn every sin, and wave our Bibles at the world? I think not. It means we are people of deep
faith, with well formed convictions that rest solidly on the Word, whose lives
even more than our words are compelling evidence of the Truth about Jesus and
His love.
Here is a word from the Word. Paul, who was writing from a
prison, shows us the true courage that we can find in Christ. Lord, bless this Word to us today.
"I eagerly expect
and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so
that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by
death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. … Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a
manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only
hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit,
contending as one man for the faith of the gospel." (Philippians 1:27,
NIV) Amen.
____________
All The People Said
Amen
You are not alone if
you are lonely
When you feel afraid
you're not the only
We are all the same in
need of mercy
To be forgiven and be
free
It's all you got to
lean on
But thank God it's all
you need
And all the people
said amen whoa
And all the people
said amen
Give thanks to the
Lord for His love never ends
And all the people
said amen
If you're rich or poor
well it don't matter
Weak or strong you
know love is what we're after
We're all broken but
we're all in this together
God knows we stumble
and fall
And He so loved the
world
He sent His son to
save us all
Blessed are the poor
in spirit who are torn apart
Blessed are the
persecuted and the pure in heart
Blessed are the people
hungry for another start
For theirs is the
kingdom the kingdom of God
Matt Maher | Paul Moak | Trevor Morgan
© 2013 Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publishing (Admin.
by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc.)
Thankyou Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)
Valley Of Songs Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)
Trevor Morgan Music
CCLI License # 810055
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