1/22/07
Reflections on James 1:19-27
There are two passages that have hit me like a God-sized bomb lately. The first is Revelation Chapter 3 which deals with the “lukewarm” Christians who bask in their American-like consumerism and spiritual complacency. The other, more recent passage that has been on my heart and mind is James 1:19-27. Like Revelation chapter three it speaks of the frightening difference between being merely a hearer of God’s word and a doer of God’s word. I will be the first to say that I have been both. I have been the guy who goes to all of the “right” bible studies, listens to all of the “right” music, says all of the “right” things, and hangs out with all of the “right” people. That was my faith. Comfortable. Easy. Non-threatening. Forget getting my hands dirty. Forget helping the poor. Forget being unashamed about Jesus. I felt good. Then I realized something. The type of good that I was feeling was not the type of good I saw in God’s servants. It wasn’t the Apostle-Paul-Like good where pain, suffering, and near-death-experiences were a daily thing along with the joy of being a sold out follower of Jesus Christ. The good I felt was the mere hearer’s good. The lukewarm good that the church of Laodecia thought sufficient enough to save while Christ was spitting them out of His mouth. I’ve realized that Americas faith is one of comfort and distant support. We love sending monthly checks to Africa but forget helping the Heroin addict downtown. That’s a little to close to comfort.
I’m not talking about redemption as the fruit of works. I’m talking about works as the fruit of redemption. Action without life–change is meaningless. Life-change without action is incomplete.
So what do we do? The answer is in the question. God what can I do. Tell me. I don’t care how hard, how uncomfortable, how dirty it is. I just care about doing what You want me to do. I don’t want to be a mere hearer. I want to be a doer. As a redeemed soul I want to see the redemption of other’s. I want to be a part of Your work.
There are two passages that have hit me like a God-sized bomb lately. The first is Revelation Chapter 3 which deals with the “lukewarm” Christians who bask in their American-like consumerism and spiritual complacency. The other, more recent passage that has been on my heart and mind is James 1:19-27. Like Revelation chapter three it speaks of the frightening difference between being merely a hearer of God’s word and a doer of God’s word. I will be the first to say that I have been both. I have been the guy who goes to all of the “right” bible studies, listens to all of the “right” music, says all of the “right” things, and hangs out with all of the “right” people. That was my faith. Comfortable. Easy. Non-threatening. Forget getting my hands dirty. Forget helping the poor. Forget being unashamed about Jesus. I felt good. Then I realized something. The type of good that I was feeling was not the type of good I saw in God’s servants. It wasn’t the Apostle-Paul-Like good where pain, suffering, and near-death-experiences were a daily thing along with the joy of being a sold out follower of Jesus Christ. The good I felt was the mere hearer’s good. The lukewarm good that the church of Laodecia thought sufficient enough to save while Christ was spitting them out of His mouth. I’ve realized that Americas faith is one of comfort and distant support. We love sending monthly checks to Africa but forget helping the Heroin addict downtown. That’s a little to close to comfort.
I’m not talking about redemption as the fruit of works. I’m talking about works as the fruit of redemption. Action without life–change is meaningless. Life-change without action is incomplete.
So what do we do? The answer is in the question. God what can I do. Tell me. I don’t care how hard, how uncomfortable, how dirty it is. I just care about doing what You want me to do. I don’t want to be a mere hearer. I want to be a doer. As a redeemed soul I want to see the redemption of other’s. I want to be a part of Your work.
Labels: Bible
posted by Kevin at 2:50 PM
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