Are you a hearer or a doer?

As we start our reflection today, I am just going to recap some of the things James has covered so far in the first part of his letter;

• Withstanding the trials and temptations of life help you develop steadfastness. 
• As you grow in steadfastness you demonstrate your love for God and are on your way to gaining the crown of life. 
• There are things you need to watch out for that can overwhelm you and get you off track causing you not to show or live in the goodness of God. 
• Anger is not holy.
• Communication is an important way in which you can show the righteous life you have as a child of God. 

These points seem simple and logical, yet it does not seem so simple implementing them into everyday life does it? I struggle with it, especially that last one - being more considered in how I communicate. That is a constant effort and I know don’t live up to the standard of righteousness in each conversation. How are you doing? Have you made progress as you have been pondering this letter of James? It is ok if you find it hard, but are you endeavouring to lead a more righteous life?

James 1:22-25;

be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. *23*For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. *24*For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. *25*But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. 

The things God has been teaching you, have you put them into practice? Or have you just looked at it, heard it and walked away? That is what James is challenging us within these verses. If you know that God has been pinpointing a certain behaviour, mindset or sin, and you realise that you haven’t got something quite in line with God’s expectations, then you need to sort it out. Not eventually, not when it is convenient, at a different time in life, but now. Otherwise you’re like someone who forgets what they look like. You are like someone who has gained insight into who they are and then just walked away. There’s no point reading and studying the Bible, praying, or going to church if you are not implementing what you reading, hearing and seeing. If you ignore what God and others are teaching you then you are ‘deceiving yourselves’, forgetting who you are. Faith in God requires action. Some people read the Bible diligently, study and investigate scripture, turn up to events and prayer meetings but remain completely unchanged. Why? Because they have no interest in putting it into practice, maybe because they are comfortable or it is too much like hard work. Don’t be one of those. They have forgotten what they look like. They don't know who they are or who they could be. God wants more for you and from you.

If someone reads the Bible, prays and carries on as they are without any change, it is like someone reading a car manual. It is pointless doing so unless you’re going to do what the manual says. It would be a waste of time and certainly won’t help the smooth running of the car. Ignoring the advice within the manual would be ignorant and could cause long-term damage. The same is true for how you handle the Bible. If you ignore what it says, don't implement the advice and instructions given then you are not living the best life you can, and that can cause long-term damage. 

These verses tell us the Bible is, ‘the perfect law, the law of liberty’. So, if you ignore it you are desiring imperfection and restriction in your life. Whereas if you challenge yourself to do as the Word of God says you will be following the perfect law and learning to live in freedom. Not only that, but the promise is that you ‘will be blessed’ by persevering and putting into practice what God is teaching you. If you seek to live a righteous, God-honouring life, it requires action. Being a follower of Jesus requires you to, 'be doers of the word, and not hearers only'. 

Are you a disciple or part of the crowd?

I have been struck by the above question as I have been reading and pondering on the lives of Daniel, Hananiah, Azariah and Mishael in the book of Daniel. 

From the moment we meet these guys, as teenage boys, exiles in a foreign land, they have demonstrated dedication in being disciples of God. Despite the fact that they had experienced; the loss of their home, culture, lifestyle, family, and traditions, they kept following God. Even when the rest of those exiled with them, and the community surrounding them were doing otherwise. 

These four lads were not the only Jewish boys captured and brought to Babylon to be trained and educated in Babylonian life, there were others. There were other exiles, also in a similar life stage, with equable background, upbringing and lifestyle, yet these four young men continued to stand for the faith they had despite the fact that everything else in their life had change. These four recognised that even if everything else changed, God didn’t. 

They expressed this in the everyday decisions they had to make. In making their own decisions despite what the prevailing culture taught and demonstrated, in spite of what their peers were doing, or what was expected of them. We see this from the very start when they are faced with the array of food offered to them - the very same food that the king ate, and the same wine the king drank. I am sure most of the crowd were kind of excited by this prospect - the opportunity to see and taste foods they never dreamed of, even food that would not be allowed as part of their jewish heritage. As they were no longer in their own country though, did the rules still apply? even more poignant - did they want to follow them anyway as they were away from their religious leaders and their parents? These teenager boys could make their own decisions and exercise the freedom that this exile-life allowed even in the simple matters of what to eat, and who wouldn’t want to eat like a king?!

Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. They did not want to eat like kings. Well, they probably did, but they chose not to. Why? Because the Law told them that certain foods were unclean and not for eating, and in this Babylonian culture - how could you tell what was what? Which meats are acceptable and which aren’t? So these four dedicated disciples made a radical decision. They chose to avoid meat altogether, they requested to eat only vegetables and drink only water. How many teenagers do you know that would choose that kind of diet?

They did it because they wanted to honour God first. Above their own desires, the expectations and peer pressure. It could not have been easy for them. Can you imagine the taunting? The name calling, the tempting that must have gone on amongst the crowd of lads eating what they liked? 

The crowd were comfortable and content, eating as they liked, amongst their peers doing as expected.  Daniel and his friends were the odd ones out, living sacrificially, surrounded by temptation and teasing. 

Yet, is the aim of life to be comfortable? Is that the aim of yours? The crowd lead us to be satisfied with ourselves and accepting of one another. There’s comradeship, support and guidance. The same is true for the few disciples as well though. The question really is though - where are the crowd or the disciples leading us? 

Disciples lead us to God, the crowd lead us away. 

Jesus tells us the following in Matthew 7:13-14, ‘the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. *14*For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.’

If you are following the crowd, it may seem comfortable and satisfying, but do you realise that they are the many going through the wide gate to destruction? The few, the disciples, following God are searching for that narrow gate because they know that way they will find life. It is not easy, but isn’t it worth it?

Daniel, Hananiah, Azariah and Mishael sought the narrow way. They did not go along with the crowd, but searched for the narrow way - we can see that throughout the accounts in the book Daniel about how they pressed into God and away from the crowd. They stuck together in their community of believers and followers of God, even through fire, death threats and persecution. The disciples of Jesus did the same.

The 12 disciples of Jesus gave up; businesses, family, lifestyle, riches, security and comfort in order to follow him. They gave up everything in their life to get close to Jesus. They were invited to be up close and personal to God himself and they chose to do it rather than be part of the ever increasing crowd. As a result, they saw; Jesus walk in water, loaves and fishes feeding thousands, demons fleeing and many healings. They saw these things first-hand because they placed themselves in close proximity to Jesus by the everyday decisions they made. The crowd heard of these stories, but they weren’t there when Jesus calmed the storm or walked on water. They didn’t hear first-hand the conversations. The disciples did. Just like in Daniel, the few got to see God in action. 

Where do you want to be? 

Are you content and comfortable in the crowd? Or are you ready and yearning to be a disciple?

It is in the everyday decisions that we can show where we are. In; how you speak to others, who you spend time with, how you manage the school/work resources, how you deal with finances, if you just go along with everyone else just because that is what everyone else is doing. Everyday you get to show where you; in the crowd or amongst the disciples.

Whichever option you choose, there’s a cost. 

Being part of the crowd may be self-satisfying, comfortable and easier, but it leads to estrangement from God and destruction

Being a disciple will mean hardship, being in the minority, estrangement from peers, but closeness to God and life. 

So, what are you going to choose today? Are you part of the crowd or a disciple?

Let us...

Through Hebrews we have discovered the necessity of Jesus’ death. It was required in order for true freedom and restoration to be inherited by his followers. So, what is your response to that? How can you respond to so great a gift?

Hebrews 10 encourages and exhorts us as follows:

22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. *23*Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. *24*And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, *25*not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. 
Hebrews 10:22-25

Did you notice the phrase, ‘Let us’ is repeated three times? Whenever anything is repeated in any text it draws attention and indicates significance. So, what is the relevance of the words, ‘let us’? These words suggests that we have permission to do what follows, and we are invited or encouraged to partake in what follows. As Jesus has left to us his great inheritance, our response should be to;

‘Draw near with a true heart’
‘Hold fast’
‘Stir up one another’

This is the expectation. As a follower of Jesus, it is your responsibility to do these things, so what do they involve? Let us have a closer look….

‘let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith’

You have permission, freedom and an invitation to get close to God. We can get into His presence because Jesus has paid the sacrifice to make you pure, isn’t that exciting?! You are clean, cleansed, free from ALL sin! Therefore you are encouraged into the presence of God, not to stay at a distance, but invited in as close as you can get! WOW!
So, how close are you?
What do you do in your everyday life to get closer to God? How’s your prayer life? How often do you read the Bible? Discuss Scripture with others? Do you take part in fellowship with other believers? Are you active in your faith? Are you taking opportunities to grow? Are you desiring to get to know the King of heaven better?

‘Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.’

‘Hold fast’. Be steadfast. Persevere. Keep going. Don’t quit.
Life gets hard, you may get doubtful (even Jesus closest friends did), attacked for your faith, but HOLD FAST - Remember the hope God has given you because, ‘he who promised is faithful’. Other things will let you down, but God won’t. When the tough gets going, keep going.

‘let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works’

The final exhortation of this passage is to; encourage, challenge and inspire others. You have the opportunity to build people’s faith. To support them to grow, and inspire them to trust God in new ways. Do you do that?
This kind of goes against the culture that we live in where everyone is out for the best for themselves, self-promotion and self-elevation. This verse encourages us to bring out the best in others not ourselves.
Are you actively inspiring and supporting other believers? Do you ‘stir up’ people to act out their faith in new and brave ways?

So, today as you ponder these things, is there a personal challenge that is brought to mind where you can get closer to God? Is there an encouragement to keep on going even when times are tough? Or are you inspired to support others in faith?

‘Let us’ as a result of the love and sacrifice of Jesus make a difference to this world through the outworking of our faith and the demonstrated love we have for God and one another.