Our lives are invaded with words and information. Sometimes I feel like we are on overload. We watch TV, especially news programs and they not only talk to us, but they have words scrolling along the bottom of the screen. Some even have 2 lines of text scrolling at the bottom. Who can process that much information? Our culture has numbed us to words. Words don’t carry the weight they used to. Words have become almost meaningless.
Two things come to mind when I ponder all of this. First of all, we need to slow down and quiet ourselves so that we can take God at His Word. And secondly we need to allow His word to have weight. Allow it to have a place that all other words don’t. To allow them to have a drastic, life-altering effect in our hearts and minds, which is reflected by our actions.
For a long time now I feel like the church, or the sermon, will speak life-giving words and the reaction is more along the lines of, “well, that’s what the church/minister is supposed to say, it has no relevance for me.” Instead we should look deeply into His word and allow it to change us, transforming our very being. God’s word hidden in our hearts will change our actions. It’s time for us to be people of action again. Not just people who talk up a good game and don’t produce any fruit.
Listen to this from Psalm 119:5-6 in the New Living Translation: “Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect your decrees! Then I will not be ashamed when I compare my life with your commands.” It is all about how we act, not what we say. Listen to what it says in James 1:22-25 “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 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. 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.”
But then again, I’m a minister, and that’s just what I’m supposed to say.
Humbly,
Dave
