I’M SAVED, NOW WHAT (part-15)

I’M SAVED, NOW WHAT? (part-15)

OBEYING GOD’S WORD:
Earlier we saw that James placed more importance on listening than he did
on talking. He said we should be ‘quick to listen’; but if listening is all that
we do, then what have we accomplished? What if we never act on the things
we have heard? James says that we need to do what we hear from God’s Word.
    Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive
    yourselves. Do what it says. (James 1:22)

He also warns us to avoid deceiving ourselves. What could he possibly mean
by that? I believe he is just emphasizing his advice to ‘do what God’s Word
says’. In other words, don’t convince ourselves that listening to God’s Word
is all that is required, we have to make His principles an active part of our
lives.

We may enjoy going to church, tithing, listening to sermons, Christian
music and Christian radio. We may feel that we are growing closer to
God because our knowledge of His Word is increasing. However, if we
expect to grow closer to the Lord, we need to allow His Word to change
us from the inside out. Otherwise, we are just filling our heads with knowledge.

We may appear religious and sound like a godly person because we can quote
scriptures, but if we fail to allow God to touch others through our lives, then
we are missing the mark. God wants us to give away to others what He has
given to us. He wants us to love others and to share His truths with them. Jesus
set the example. He could have devoted Himself to preaching and teaching, but
He involved Himself in the lives of others. He made the necessary sacrifices to
obey the Will of the Father. In order to grow spiritually, we have to apply God’s
Word to our own lives and obey His Will for us.

James felt that applying God’s principles is of such high importance that
he continues his emphasis that we should make them a part of our lives.
    Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says
    is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after
    looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what
    he looks like. (James 1:23-24)

Don’t you just love the example he used of looking into a mirror?
Think about it; if we see a dirty spot on our face and don’t wash it
off immediately, chances are we will forget about it being there,
and especially the longer we are away from a mirror.

In much the same way, if we don’t apply God’s Word to our lives,
more than likely we will start forgetting what we heard. The sooner
we start to apply the things we have heard (or read), the sooner they
become a part of us. Once they become a part of our life then we have
less of a need to remember them since they have become as natural to
us as breathing. Using James’ advice, we should continually develop
the characteristics the Lord wants of His children.

So, how do we benefit from actively doing what James suggests?
This is a good question and one that James answers.
    But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that
    gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting
    what they have heard, but doing it—they will be
    blessed in what they do. (James 1:25)

If we breakdown this verse we can see several things:
    “looks intently”
        More than likely this means meditating on the scriptures and
        spending time in sincere bible study (attained by attending
        weekly worship services and bible study classes).

    “gives freedom”
        When we develop the characteristics of Jesus,
        we experience a new freedom from sin and addictions.

    “continues in it”
        Bible study and meditation are not occasional events
        in our life, but are consistent high priorities.

    “not forgetting what they have heard”
        We are not just hearing God’s Word, but we are thinking about
        how we can apply the things we have been taught. We have an
        awareness of the things happening throughout the day and know
        which of God’s principles should be applied in response to each
        situation.

    “but doing it”
        We make a conscious effort to include God’s principles as a natural
        part of our lives. In other words, we automatically react to situations
        in a Christ-like manner. Think of it as preparatory work. We plan our
        response in advance so that we can avoid making snap decisions
        which are often controlled by our emotions instead of the Holy Spirit.

Now let’s look at our rewards for taking James’ advice. He says we will be
blessed in what we do. Does that mean everything will go well for us? Not
necessarily. It could mean that no matter what happens, we will be satisfied
in knowing we have applied God’s principles to our lives, and we responded
to situations in ways that please Him.

Whenever we fail to listen to God, we start paying attention to the wrong
voices. This can cause us to avoid submitting to the Lord and His Will for
our lives. There are consequences to shutting off our ears to God:
    We will make decisions based on the appeal of those other voices we hear.

    We will make excuses or blame others for our wrongdoings.

    We will experience divine discipline.

    We will miss out on God’s best.

JUST BEING RELIGIOUS:
Have you ever noticed a member of the church who seems to have missed
out on understanding that we should strive to become more like Jesus? They
can be easily angered, they gossip, they slander others, they use profanity,
they treat others unkindly and they even lie. You may hear some admit that
they exaggerate, but they do not consider it the same as telling an untruth.
Exaggerating doesn’t excuse someone from telling a lie, it confirms they
are lying.

James says that many may think they are religious and that others perceive
them as a Christian, but they are actually destroying their witness by the
things they say.
    Those who consider themselves religious and yet
    do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive
    themselves, and their religion is worthless.
    (James 1:26)

Controlling what we say is another characteristic of Jesus. Even those
who wanted to harm Him would have to admit that He thought carefully
about what He said, and the impact it would have on those listening. In
today’s world, many people are more focused on what they are saying
(or plan to say) than they are on listening to others.

Have you ever noticed that sometimes when you are speaking to another
person, you can detect that they are barely listening (if at all) and are instead
concentrating on what they plan to say as soon as you have finished speaking?
We are given two ears and one mouth. Does that imply that we should listen
more than we talk? We have looked at some ways our tongue can destroy our
witness, but keeping our tongue under control could enhance our witnessing.
How? Here are just a few of the ways we can use our tongues for good:
– Sharing God’s Word with others.
– Encouraging others.
– Praying.
– Saying something positive in a negative situation.
– Singing praises to God.

I don’t believe God wants us to remain silent, but He does want us to be
careful and filter the things we say. Initially this may require a conscious
effort on our part, but as we develop more of the characteristics of Jesus,
it will become more of a natural part of who we are. Why? Because the
process of developing His characteristics will result in a change of our
attitudes.

Developing the characteristics of Jesus can change us from someone
who lashes out at others when they are out of line, to someone who
reaches out to others with sincere concern. Instead of having a desire
to ‘straighten them out’, we want to pray for them and the things that
are causing problems in their life.