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| God's call to action |
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| Written by Doug Craven | |
| Wednesday, 16 September 2009 | |
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God’s Call to Action… James 1:17-27 There is a story that is told of Franklin Roosevelt, who often endured long receiving lines at the White House. I am not sure of the facts behind the tale but the story goes that he complained that no one really paid any attention to what was said. One day, during a reception, he decided to try an experiment. To each person who passed down the line and shook his hand, he murmured, “I murdered my grandmother this morning.” The guests responded with phrases like, “Marvelous! Keep up the good work. We are proud of you. God bless you, sir.” It was not till the end of the line, while greeting the ambassador from Bolivia, that his words were actually heard. Without pause, the ambassador leaned over and whispered, “I’m sure she had it coming.” While funny, the story makes me ponder just how often we don’t listen closely enough... How often are most of us, in conversations where we do more talking than listening? Or better yet… how many of you use the time that the other person is talking to think of what you are going to say as soon as they stop. Yet… with all these examples, I find it strikingly odd that God gave us two ears, but only one mouth! And our desire to flap our gums doesn’t stop with our family, friends and community; we have to inflict it upon God too. James starts out our scripture today striking to the very heart of this problem. James writes to us in verse 19, “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, and slow to speak.” While this is good advice for us for how we should treat our brothers and sisters… even more so… it is important for us to do this with God. We should be quick to listen to what God has to say, and reflect more before speaking to GOD. How can we hear God’s call to us if we are too busy doing something else, like talking? Instead of our ongoing one way communication from us to God, it should instead lead us to focus on the communication from God to us. Then we come to understand that listening is the first step. The second step is accepting what is heard. That is correct - Accept IT, and write it into your heart as James writes in verse 21: “accept the word planted in you.” Then the next step might seem like a no-brainer, and yet, it is the step that most often gets overlooked. Now DO something. Let’s pick up the text again at verse 22:“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. DO what is says.” It is one thing to listen for God and to accept God’s Word, it is an entirely different thing to actually act on it. Indeed, when we finally listen for God, when we hear God’s call to action…then we really will be transformed… into the disciples he has called us to be; so just do it ...Doug Craven |
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