james, being his practical self,
says i must receive GOD's word if i’m going to be blessed by it
james 1.21 niv), accept the word planted in you. the word accept in greek is a hospitality term . which literally means “to welcome” -- come on in. if we’re going to be blessed by the word of GOD, first we must welcome the word into our lives. we must be receptive.
james gives an illustration. he says it’s planted in you. he gives the illustration of a garden and seed. the bible, all through scripture, compares itself to seed. jesus told the parable of the sower and said, “the word of GOD is a seed and it’s planted in our hearts.”
how is it you can take two seeds that are exactly the same and plant them in two different locations and get two different crops in fruitfulness? one soil is prepared and the other is not. how is it that you can take two people and put them in the same service, with the same message, and one person gets blessed by it and the other person says he didn’t get anything out of it. one heart was prepared and one wasn’t. james says we must receive the word of GOD with the right attitude. he gives us some attitudes you need to be blessed by GOD’s word. they are hearing-aides.
1. be careful. i must have a careful attitude. james 1.19 (niv), be quick to listen... give it your full attention. be alert. don’t miss it. ... slow to speak ... when i’m talking, i’m not listening. GOD gave us two ears and one mouth so we ought to listen twice as much as we talk. many of our problems are caused because we’re quick to speak rather than being quick to listen. be careful in your attitude. be ready. be intent. be ready to receive GOD’s word. be careful.
2. be calm. be calm if you’re going to receive GOD’s word and be blessed by it. james 1.19b (niv), ... and slow to become angry ... a relaxed attitude increases receptivity. if you’re relaxed, people can communicate with you more. we don’t hear much when we’re angry, upset, bitter, or resentful. bitterness is a barrier, an emotional block that keeps us from hearing GOD’s word. some may ask, ‘how come GOD never speaks to me?” maybe you’ve got some resentment in your life you need to get rid of. an article from reader's digest said when you listen it actually lowers your blood pressure. when you speak it raises your blood pressure. james says be calm, be slow to anger.
what is your emotional state, normally, when you go to church on sunday morning? do you go with a calm attitude? in many homes on sunday morning it’s kind of hectic. then we go at the last minute and expect GOD to speak to us. what preparation? you need to be calm. maybe you need to get up a little bit earlier.
just a thought from the front porch…
james 1.21 niv), accept the word planted in you. the word accept in greek is a hospitality term . which literally means “to welcome” -- come on in. if we’re going to be blessed by the word of GOD, first we must welcome the word into our lives. we must be receptive.
james gives an illustration. he says it’s planted in you. he gives the illustration of a garden and seed. the bible, all through scripture, compares itself to seed. jesus told the parable of the sower and said, “the word of GOD is a seed and it’s planted in our hearts.”
how is it you can take two seeds that are exactly the same and plant them in two different locations and get two different crops in fruitfulness? one soil is prepared and the other is not. how is it that you can take two people and put them in the same service, with the same message, and one person gets blessed by it and the other person says he didn’t get anything out of it. one heart was prepared and one wasn’t. james says we must receive the word of GOD with the right attitude. he gives us some attitudes you need to be blessed by GOD’s word. they are hearing-aides.
1. be careful. i must have a careful attitude. james 1.19 (niv), be quick to listen... give it your full attention. be alert. don’t miss it. ... slow to speak ... when i’m talking, i’m not listening. GOD gave us two ears and one mouth so we ought to listen twice as much as we talk. many of our problems are caused because we’re quick to speak rather than being quick to listen. be careful in your attitude. be ready. be intent. be ready to receive GOD’s word. be careful.
2. be calm. be calm if you’re going to receive GOD’s word and be blessed by it. james 1.19b (niv), ... and slow to become angry ... a relaxed attitude increases receptivity. if you’re relaxed, people can communicate with you more. we don’t hear much when we’re angry, upset, bitter, or resentful. bitterness is a barrier, an emotional block that keeps us from hearing GOD’s word. some may ask, ‘how come GOD never speaks to me?” maybe you’ve got some resentment in your life you need to get rid of. an article from reader's digest said when you listen it actually lowers your blood pressure. when you speak it raises your blood pressure. james says be calm, be slow to anger.
what is your emotional state, normally, when you go to church on sunday morning? do you go with a calm attitude? in many homes on sunday morning it’s kind of hectic. then we go at the last minute and expect GOD to speak to us. what preparation? you need to be calm. maybe you need to get up a little bit earlier.
just a thought from the front porch…
2 comments:
We are doing a series at church called "Breaking Down the Walls" written by a pastor named Ryan Rush at Bannockburn baptist church and doing the online survey, my wall came back as Pride. At first I scoffed and wanted to reject it, but thinking about the verses you wrote today from James, I started reading the definition of pride and I can see myself in that definition. Thanks Bill.
i know how easy it is to slip into my own life. God is faithful to show me when it is getting an upper hand in my life. thanks for the comment, daria.
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