Action Required

“But be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”  James 1:22

We’ve all heard the old saying, “In one ear and out the other” which describes someone who is not a good listener.  To be a good listener, we have to really listen and not daydream or focus on what we are going to say or any number of distractions that cause our minds to wander.  A good listener will not only hear what is spoken, but will, in the case of a warning, good advice, or a heartfelt request of the speaker, take heed to those words.  And taking heed often leads to an action on the part of the listener.

I have not flown on very many commercial flights, but when I do, I pay close attention to the flight attendant’s instructions regarding the oxygen masks which drop down in the event of loss of pressure in the cabin.  Most people, because they have heard it so many times, pay no attention, but I listen because if a problem arises, I want to know what to do.  Some folks carry their indifferent attitude to scripture because they have heard the gospel so many times that they begin to ignore it.  For the committed believer, though, the gospel never gets old.

God’s Word requires action on the part of His creation.  The Bible is an instruction manual for life, not just to be read for its poetic beauty and historical narrative.  Some classify God’s Word as just a book of do’s and don’ts, but it has been my experience that do’s and don’ts are a large part of daily life.  Do this, don’t do that, eat this, don’t eat that, go here but don’t go there, stop, go, yield, no passing when yellow line is right of center, and a million other rules and regulations that we follow or, in some cases, intentionally ignore.  If man’s rules and regulations are designed to keep us safe and healthy and help us get home each day, then how much more valuable is it to obey what the Lord tells us to do because He cares far more about us than anyone.  God only has our best interest at heart.  If we don’t want to follow the instruction manual, then we will settle for less than the best.