HOW GOOD ARE YOU AT LISTENING AND DOING?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
Do not merely listen to the Word, and
so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
(James 1:22)

MEDITATION:
Are you the type of person who avoids reading instructions? For
years I would read instructions only after I completed assembling
something. I read them to confirm I did it correctly. However, there
were times when I realized I should have followed the instructions
during the assembly.

As a general rule, whenever I realized I went astray because I ignored
the instructions, I could look at them and see how to disassemble what
I had done wrong and reassemble it correctly. Unfortunately, there
were also times when I could not correct my mistakes and had to buy
a new one and start all over (following the instructions this time).

What causes us to disregard instructions and “wing it” when assembling
something? Could it be the thrill of taking on the challenge? Is it because
instructions are too confusing, or could it be that we are too lazy to read
them?

Perhaps it’s just a matter of pride and we feel we are smart enough
to figure it out. Or, maybe it’s because we don’t like being told what
to do. Whatever the reason, there are times when we find that reading
instructions could have prevented frustrations (for ourselves and maybe
those around us too), and resulted in a better finished product.

What if there were some instructions for living? Would we want to take
advantage of those instructions, or just ‘wing it’ and chart our own course?
If we’re going to have a risk of living the wrong way, wouldn’t it be better
to follow some solid and trustworthy instructions for living?

When assembling a product incorrectly, we could undo what was wrong
and redo it the right way. But how do we undo living a life in the wrong
manner? How can we ‘unscramble an egg’ and mend the impact we have
had on ourselves, and possibly others?

The good news for us is, there is actually a book available for us to use
as our guide for living. It’s named the Bible, and it has been written by
our Creator through selected individuals. God has given us His Word
to help fill in the dash of our life (the part between our birth and death).

However, like any other instructions, if we fail to read the information
He has given us, we cannot expect to reap the benefits of living the right
way. Not only should we read them, but the scriptures tell us to put into
practice what we have read. Otherwise, we’re just filling our heads with
knowledge so we can tell others how they should be living their lives
(a “do as I say, not do as I do” mentality).

The scriptures tell us that if all we do is listen to His Word, then we are
deceiving ourselves into thinking His principles are already a part of our
lives. Additionally, how can we know the rewards of living the right way
if we don’t try His instructions for ourselves?

When we try to live life our way instead of His way, we will most likely
make impulsive decisions without listening to good advice from others.
Since life can have many obstacles and pitfalls, we could set ourselves
up for becoming frustrated and losing our temper.

What advice can we get from the book with instructions for living?
It is loaded with healthy instructions and here is just a sample:
    “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this:
      Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak
      and slow to become angry, because human anger
      does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”
      (James 1:19-20)

We are told that if we want to please God (which will also be
pleasing to us), we should listen more than we talk. Why? So
we can receive and heed the good advice from others which
will help us avoid becoming frustrated and angry. When we
listen (really listening) to others, we can find out that we don’t
have all the answers.

We discover that we have blind spots, which others can detect
and point out so we can avoid potential problems. Listening
causes us to pause before proceeding, and it can help to prevent
us from making unwise decisions. We also learn there are other
people with more wisdom than us.

The more education we receive, the greater risk we can have of
developing an egotistical and arrogant personality. However,
when we take the time to read (and listen) to God’s instructions,
we can understand the benefits of humility.

Humility doesn’t mean we are weak, it means we have foresight
and the ability to patiently listen to advice from others and from
God’s Word. Some of His instructions can be a challenge for us,
but when we apply them to our lives, we will be able to develop
an appreciation and trust in our Creator’s advice for living.

Satan wants to convince us that reading the Bible is a waste
of our valuable time. He wants us to believe that God’s Word
is nothing more than a bunch of comments and rules filled with
boring words like “thee”, “thou” and “wherefore”.

But when we reject influences from the evil one and spend time
reading the Bible, we have a rewarding experience of discovering
the value of God’s instructions for living our lives, and interacting
with others.

When we choose to follow Jesus, God will initiate a sanctification
process to purge unrighteousness from us and replace it with His
righteousness. We can expect His process to have significant changes
in us as He transforms us from being selfish to becoming selfless.

We may have some major areas of selfishness that must be overcome,
and He may have to use discipline to help us in some areas. However,
when we surrender our will to His will, we will experience a renewing
of our mind that includes a desire to encourage and lift the spirits of
others. We will learn how to follow His instructions such as,
    Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united
    with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common
    sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then
    make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same
    love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of
    selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others
    above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of
    you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one
    another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.
    (Philippians 2:1-5)

We should expect the Bible to be exciting and teach us what we need
to know about ‘living a good life’. Why? Because it was ‘authored’ by
our Creator who knows more about us than we do, and He knows
more about what we need than we do.

ACTION:
Questions to consider:
    – Where do I get my instructions for living?
           Do I formulate my own direction and purpose,
           or have I decided that I need an instructional
           book to assist me with living a life pleasing to God?
    – Do I read God’s Word to get advice for living?
    – What do I do with the information He gives me?
           Do I store what I have learned as an addition to my
           own intellectual property, or do I apply His principles
           and instructions to my own life?

We can’t expect to see positive results from His instructions
if we never ‘try them out’ for ourselves. Some are easy and
some are more difficult, but we will have many “aha!”
moments when we apply His instructions to our lives.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for your book of instructions.
Help me to apply Your principles to my own life. Teach me
to be a ‘doer of Your Word’ and help me take the time to
listen to others. Show me how to use wisdom as a filter for
the things I say and do, and help me to exercise patience
and self-control so I will be able to avoid frustration and
anger. Teach me to trust and embrace the changes You
will make to renew my mind, so I will develop more of
the characteristics of Jesus and His righteousness.”

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