Read James 4:13-17
YOLO - You Only Live Once
Perhaps you have seen this on facebook lately or heard someone (probably under the age of 18) say it in the context of a conversation. It seems to be the anthem of the past year. YOLO is a fact of life that the bible speaks clearly and bluntly about from the beginning to the end. Unfortunately, this anthem has been used to justify more regret causing actions than to remind us to take advantage of the moments we have.
"What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time..."
We are a culture that is obsessed with beginnings and ends, but we forget all together the importance of the journey. We are a country that invented fast food, instant potatoes, and the microwave. All three have completely eliminated the journey and take you quickly from beginning to end.
Beginnings are fun and exciting. Beginnings are easy. The first day of school is always the exciting beginning of a new year of possibilities. Weddings are great celebrations of the beginning of a new life together. The birth of a baby is accompanied by the joyous celebration of a new life being added to the family. We put a lot of emphasis on these beginnings, but how they end is of much more importance.
The end of the school year tells the success ultimately had from the new possibilities. The last day of marriage tells us a lot more about its success than does the ceremony. The last day of life will reveal more about the quality and character of man or woman than any baby shower. It is at the end of the journey that we find out the results, but it is how you get there that determines them.
As wise person once said that on every grave stone are two dates separated by a dash, and it is the dash that counts. It is in the journey where decisions are made and opportunities ceased. It is the journey that builds the character and quality of the student, marriage, and individual. The journey is where life is lived. The journey is what counts.
I believe that this is exactly what James is trying to tell us here in this section of his letter. Life is a journey and a short one at that. You never know what surprising joy or heartbreaking sorrow tomorrow will bring. You are not promised the next day, or even the next breath. We are promised only Hebrews 9:27, to die once and then to face judgment.
We have a tendency to make plans and then expect God to bless them. Having a plan for life is a good and necessary thing, but the danger is when we forget to allow God to direct our plans. To make God your first priority and include Him in your plans is not making Him the Lord of your life. For God to be Lord of our life, we must let him determine our priorities and guide our plans.
The facts of life are the same for all of us. Today I am one day closer to death than I was yesterday. This current breath may be my last. The challenge to us all is to finish life well. The decisions we make today, and the opportunities we cease today are what determines how well we will finish this life.
The challenge is to pray for guidance in the decisions we make and that God would open our eyes to the opportunities we have today. To finish life well, we must finish each day well.
YOLO, so seek God today.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Which Dog Are You Feeding
Growing up with a dad that was a preacher, there were a lot
of things said in sermons (and perhaps whole sermons) that went in one ear and
out the other. I guess I thought that if
I really needed to know what he said, I could always ask him at home later. But, there are two illustrations he would use
that I am sure I will never forget, and one fits perfectly with this section of
James’s letter.
The illustration goes like this:
There was once an old Indian man who was asked to explain what it was like to be a Christian. After thinking about it for a while he said, “it feels like there are two dogs living inside of me that are always fighting. One is a big black dog, and the other is a big white dog.” His pastor then asked him “which dog usually wins?” The old Indian man responded “the dog that I feed the most.”
“that your passions are at war within you?”
When someone gives their life to Christ, they become spiritually alive in an unspiritual flesh. That means that, for the believer, we have a very strange and frustrating dynamic relationship between our soul that has been redeemed and our mind which must be sanctified. That relationship plays out like this: There is a part of me that really wants to sin all the time, and there is a part of me that never wants to sin again.
The trickiest part of the whole thing is that our still sinful mind tells us that we should feel good about ourselves and our relationship to sin because we are not currently caught up in any of the “big ones.” When we do not struggle with alcohol, adultery, or big lies we tend to think that are doing pretty good. The man who only says a few curse words thinks he is ok because he doesn’t smoke, and the man who smokes thinks he is ok because he doesn’t use any official curse words.
Part of our mind’s sinfulness (and the area that I struggle most in sanctification) is taking too much pride in our successes and ignoring our failures. We want to praise ourselves for not committing adultery, yet we fail to even address the lustful second looks and the shamefulness of our innocent office flirting. We want to take pride in the fact that we do not drink, but we ignore the fact that we constantly over eat seeking pleasure and comfort in food and not Christ.
The problem is that my soul, that has been made alive, knows there is more to be had in life. It knows that I was not made for the short term and very cheap pleasure found in a second piece of cake. My soul cries out for the lasting peace and comfort found only in Jesus. The Holy Spirit alive in me calls me away from the instant gratification and to the eternal joy that comes from a restored relationship with the creator God.
The illustration goes like this:
There was once an old Indian man who was asked to explain what it was like to be a Christian. After thinking about it for a while he said, “it feels like there are two dogs living inside of me that are always fighting. One is a big black dog, and the other is a big white dog.” His pastor then asked him “which dog usually wins?” The old Indian man responded “the dog that I feed the most.”
“that your passions are at war within you?”
When someone gives their life to Christ, they become spiritually alive in an unspiritual flesh. That means that, for the believer, we have a very strange and frustrating dynamic relationship between our soul that has been redeemed and our mind which must be sanctified. That relationship plays out like this: There is a part of me that really wants to sin all the time, and there is a part of me that never wants to sin again.
The trickiest part of the whole thing is that our still sinful mind tells us that we should feel good about ourselves and our relationship to sin because we are not currently caught up in any of the “big ones.” When we do not struggle with alcohol, adultery, or big lies we tend to think that are doing pretty good. The man who only says a few curse words thinks he is ok because he doesn’t smoke, and the man who smokes thinks he is ok because he doesn’t use any official curse words.
Part of our mind’s sinfulness (and the area that I struggle most in sanctification) is taking too much pride in our successes and ignoring our failures. We want to praise ourselves for not committing adultery, yet we fail to even address the lustful second looks and the shamefulness of our innocent office flirting. We want to take pride in the fact that we do not drink, but we ignore the fact that we constantly over eat seeking pleasure and comfort in food and not Christ.
The problem is that my soul, that has been made alive, knows there is more to be had in life. It knows that I was not made for the short term and very cheap pleasure found in a second piece of cake. My soul cries out for the lasting peace and comfort found only in Jesus. The Holy Spirit alive in me calls me away from the instant gratification and to the eternal joy that comes from a restored relationship with the creator God.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
What's That You Say
Read James 3:1-12
"If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all" is another phrase I must have heard a million times growing up. If we would all just play by that rule, the world would be a much nicer place to live. It is a rule I try to live by. But sometimes I have the perfect come back, and before I even know what I'm saying, it is too late.
Of course, that is thirty year old me speaking. Twenty-one year old me knew that words could bruise the soul and I made careful and precise use of them. It seemed that I always knew the exact words that would slowly and subtly crush those around me, and to my shame I used them. Actions may speak louder, but words leave the deepest wounds. Unfortunately, it is most often those that are closest to us that are the causalities of our words.
".... but no human being can tame the tongue."
We are now about half way through James's letter, and this is the second time he has mentioned the need to tame our tongue. James is starting to sound a little bit like the aging uncle at family reunions that turns every conversation into a discussion about his favorite soap box topic; usually something related to politics, the economy, or "kids these days". Why does James keep bringing everything back to this topic? Why is "taming the tongue" so important?
Lets look at what else the bible says about our speech:
Luke 6:43-45
Jesus is saying that in order for the words to come out of your mouth, they must first come through the filter of your heart. That means if your words are evil and destructive, then your heart is too. Our words serve as a warning system to us. They tell us that we have an evil heart and that we need a new one.
Proverbs 6 is littered with warnings about speech. In verses 16 and 17 the author lists a lying tongue as one of the six things God hates.
Proverbs 10:18-22 once again links the words you say to the condition of your heart.
Matthew 12:33-37
Finally, here in verse 36, Jesus says that we will give an account for every careless word. We will have to answer for the times that the "perfect come back" slips out before we even know we are talking. We will be judged by the angry words that we only say in the heat of an argument. Because, while they may not convey our actual feelings, they do reveal the actual condition of our heart.
The two most valuable things you have are time and words. Once you use them, you can never get them back. So spend some time today praying that God will purify your heart and sanctify your words. Because, while you may not be what you eat, you are what you say.
"If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all" is another phrase I must have heard a million times growing up. If we would all just play by that rule, the world would be a much nicer place to live. It is a rule I try to live by. But sometimes I have the perfect come back, and before I even know what I'm saying, it is too late.
Of course, that is thirty year old me speaking. Twenty-one year old me knew that words could bruise the soul and I made careful and precise use of them. It seemed that I always knew the exact words that would slowly and subtly crush those around me, and to my shame I used them. Actions may speak louder, but words leave the deepest wounds. Unfortunately, it is most often those that are closest to us that are the causalities of our words.
".... but no human being can tame the tongue."
We are now about half way through James's letter, and this is the second time he has mentioned the need to tame our tongue. James is starting to sound a little bit like the aging uncle at family reunions that turns every conversation into a discussion about his favorite soap box topic; usually something related to politics, the economy, or "kids these days". Why does James keep bringing everything back to this topic? Why is "taming the tongue" so important?
Lets look at what else the bible says about our speech:
Luke 6:43-45
Jesus is saying that in order for the words to come out of your mouth, they must first come through the filter of your heart. That means if your words are evil and destructive, then your heart is too. Our words serve as a warning system to us. They tell us that we have an evil heart and that we need a new one.
Proverbs 6 is littered with warnings about speech. In verses 16 and 17 the author lists a lying tongue as one of the six things God hates.
Proverbs 10:18-22 once again links the words you say to the condition of your heart.
Matthew 12:33-37
Finally, here in verse 36, Jesus says that we will give an account for every careless word. We will have to answer for the times that the "perfect come back" slips out before we even know we are talking. We will be judged by the angry words that we only say in the heat of an argument. Because, while they may not convey our actual feelings, they do reveal the actual condition of our heart.
The two most valuable things you have are time and words. Once you use them, you can never get them back. So spend some time today praying that God will purify your heart and sanctify your words. Because, while you may not be what you eat, you are what you say.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Read James 2:14-26
"Actions speak louder than words" is one of the many phrases I remember hearing growing up. I remember being very confused the first time I heard it. I was a very literal thinking kid, and I could not grasp how actions were supposed to be loud. I always wanted to respond with, "but what if you yell the words?" Luckily, I never did as I can only imagine the punishment that response would have brought on.
At some point I finally figured out what my parents meant by that statement, and have since adopted as one of my favorite. It is one of my favorite because few cliche sayings are as true as this one. Our actions speak louder than our words when it comes to our promises. Our actions speak louder when it comes to how others perceive our love. And, our actions speak louder than our words when it comes to our faith.
"Show me your faith apart from your works..."
This section of James's letter was very challenging for me to understand the first time I studied James. I had always been taught that you are saved by faith, and that your works cannot save you. But reading this, it really seems that James is telling his readers that they are saved by their works. So, which is it? Does your faith save you or do your works save you?
First I think we need to address the misconception about faith that I believe most of us share with the original readers of James's letter. We often make the mistake of linking faith to just a belief. It is a logical mistake because both are internal concepts. Both start as thoughts and are mostly intangible. But faith transcends belief. Faith is a belief that dictates.
God had made a promise to Abraham that his decedents would become a mighty nation. Abraham believed God, and that belief dictated his obedience to God when called to sacrifice his only son. Rahab's belief in God dictated that she commit treason against her own people. My belief that God is holy and that I have fallen short of His glory dictates that I need a Savior.
There are two things that I think this section of James's letter demands we examine. The first is very simple to understand. Your faith is only as good as what it is placed in. Let's say a doctor were to tell you that you are on the brink of heart disease and possible massive heart attacks unless you made changes to your life style. Placing your faith in the healing power of bacon and fried chicken would not be wise, in fact it would only lead to a speeding up of your destruction. We must make sure that in which we place our faith is the very best and most deserving of such a high burden.
The second is much harder to swallow. Our works will tell us and others what we have placed our faith in. We must be diligent in determining what it is in that we have truly placed our faith. Jesus in Matthew 7:15-20, Paul in Ephesians 2:8-10, and James in this passage all declare to us that our external works will reflect our true internal faith. We must be worried when our works do not reflect that which we think we have placed our faith in.
We are saved by faith. But faith is much more than a cognitive belief. And, it is our works that declare to us and the world what we have placed our faith in.
I believe that everyone's faith is very personal and specific to their own relationship with Jesus, and that it will dictate different actions from different people. But, I also believe that it will not dictate actions that do not line up with his word. In light of that, here are 5 things I see in his word that our faith will produce in us.
5 Things Your Faith Should Dictate
1.) Forgiveness - we will forgive others because Jesus has forgiven us
2.) Sacrifice - we will make sacrifices because Jesus sacrificed himself for us
3.) Serve - we will serve others because Jesus served
4.) Love - we will love others unconditionally because Jesus has loved us unconditionally
5.) Obey - we will obey because Jesus is worthy of our obedience
"Actions speak louder than words" is one of the many phrases I remember hearing growing up. I remember being very confused the first time I heard it. I was a very literal thinking kid, and I could not grasp how actions were supposed to be loud. I always wanted to respond with, "but what if you yell the words?" Luckily, I never did as I can only imagine the punishment that response would have brought on.
At some point I finally figured out what my parents meant by that statement, and have since adopted as one of my favorite. It is one of my favorite because few cliche sayings are as true as this one. Our actions speak louder than our words when it comes to our promises. Our actions speak louder when it comes to how others perceive our love. And, our actions speak louder than our words when it comes to our faith.
"Show me your faith apart from your works..."
This section of James's letter was very challenging for me to understand the first time I studied James. I had always been taught that you are saved by faith, and that your works cannot save you. But reading this, it really seems that James is telling his readers that they are saved by their works. So, which is it? Does your faith save you or do your works save you?
First I think we need to address the misconception about faith that I believe most of us share with the original readers of James's letter. We often make the mistake of linking faith to just a belief. It is a logical mistake because both are internal concepts. Both start as thoughts and are mostly intangible. But faith transcends belief. Faith is a belief that dictates.
God had made a promise to Abraham that his decedents would become a mighty nation. Abraham believed God, and that belief dictated his obedience to God when called to sacrifice his only son. Rahab's belief in God dictated that she commit treason against her own people. My belief that God is holy and that I have fallen short of His glory dictates that I need a Savior.
There are two things that I think this section of James's letter demands we examine. The first is very simple to understand. Your faith is only as good as what it is placed in. Let's say a doctor were to tell you that you are on the brink of heart disease and possible massive heart attacks unless you made changes to your life style. Placing your faith in the healing power of bacon and fried chicken would not be wise, in fact it would only lead to a speeding up of your destruction. We must make sure that in which we place our faith is the very best and most deserving of such a high burden.
The second is much harder to swallow. Our works will tell us and others what we have placed our faith in. We must be diligent in determining what it is in that we have truly placed our faith. Jesus in Matthew 7:15-20, Paul in Ephesians 2:8-10, and James in this passage all declare to us that our external works will reflect our true internal faith. We must be worried when our works do not reflect that which we think we have placed our faith in.
We are saved by faith. But faith is much more than a cognitive belief. And, it is our works that declare to us and the world what we have placed our faith in.
I believe that everyone's faith is very personal and specific to their own relationship with Jesus, and that it will dictate different actions from different people. But, I also believe that it will not dictate actions that do not line up with his word. In light of that, here are 5 things I see in his word that our faith will produce in us.
5 Things Your Faith Should Dictate
1.) Forgiveness - we will forgive others because Jesus has forgiven us
2.) Sacrifice - we will make sacrifices because Jesus sacrificed himself for us
3.) Serve - we will serve others because Jesus served
4.) Love - we will love others unconditionally because Jesus has loved us unconditionally
5.) Obey - we will obey because Jesus is worthy of our obedience
Thursday, August 2, 2012
No Favorites Please
Read James 2:1-13
I remember having to move a couple of times in school. Each move brought with it sad goodbyes, but also the opportunity to start fresh. The new people in the new town had no memories of embarrassing things I had said or done. I had not yet made any mistakes that they could hold over my head.
Yes, each move was a second chance at getting it right in school. I remember using the last few weeks at my school in Gurdon to decide what changes I would make and what new person I would be at my new school in Batesville. I was going to be different. I was going to get it right at this school. The new me was not going to care what people thought.
While I did make some changes, I didn't quite become that person I wanted to be. It did not take long for me to identify which group of kids were 'cool' and which group of kids were on the cusp of it and which groups of kids had no chance. From there it did not take long for me to begin to shun some people to gain the favor of and acceptance into the "cool crowd".
"show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory."
So many other parts of James' letter address much more obvious problem areas of life that I typically look over this section. But after a little meditation, I firmly believe that getting the sin of partiality corrected in my life would make the biggest impact on my effectiveness as a follower of Christ. The sin of partiality reveals three very sad things about our heart.
1.) We don't understand what God in Jesus has done for us. If we were to put God the Father into James' example here as the hosting the assembly, then we would be the poor man. Every last one of us we be shunned and told to stand in the back or sit like a servant or slave in the worst spot. Jesus would be the only rich man at the whole assembly, and He and God would have no need for us even being there. Had God, through Jesus, not reached down to those lesser than himself; we would be left with no hope, destined to live out this life as slaves to our sinful desires. But they chose to invite us, the poor man, into their assembly and to give us a good seat.
2.) We don't understand God's view of us. This one is fairly simple. When Christ died, He died for all. He died so that "whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life". I am the whosoever, but so is every other person on this earth. Every person stands before God on equal footing. We are all equally in need of His help. This should fuel our mission efforts to both the rich and the poor of this world. To only reach out to the rich man in hopes of advancing my social status or because he can help me out, reveals the evil in my heart. But, to only reach out to the poor man so that I wouldn't be seen as playing favorites or that I might be seen as doing my religious duty, only reveals my ignorance. But to reach out to both because I realize that they both can find hope in Christ, reveals that the Holy Spirit has taught my heart to love my neighbor as myself.
3.) We don't understand what God has called us to be. We are called heirs with Jesus, adopted sons and daughter of God, and we are blessed with the ministry of reconciliation. Big Daddy Weave released a song called 'Audience of One' while I was in college (click here to listen to it on YouTube). It really helped focus my attention on what I think is James' whole point to this passage. That we would live our life out in front of Jesus and Jesus only as our audience of one, and that we would realize that he has already helped our status more than any rich man ever could.
I firmly believe that realizing these three things will allow us to escape the sin of partiality and live freely finding our hope in Jesus alone.
I remember having to move a couple of times in school. Each move brought with it sad goodbyes, but also the opportunity to start fresh. The new people in the new town had no memories of embarrassing things I had said or done. I had not yet made any mistakes that they could hold over my head.
Yes, each move was a second chance at getting it right in school. I remember using the last few weeks at my school in Gurdon to decide what changes I would make and what new person I would be at my new school in Batesville. I was going to be different. I was going to get it right at this school. The new me was not going to care what people thought.
While I did make some changes, I didn't quite become that person I wanted to be. It did not take long for me to identify which group of kids were 'cool' and which group of kids were on the cusp of it and which groups of kids had no chance. From there it did not take long for me to begin to shun some people to gain the favor of and acceptance into the "cool crowd".
"show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory."
So many other parts of James' letter address much more obvious problem areas of life that I typically look over this section. But after a little meditation, I firmly believe that getting the sin of partiality corrected in my life would make the biggest impact on my effectiveness as a follower of Christ. The sin of partiality reveals three very sad things about our heart.
1.) We don't understand what God in Jesus has done for us. If we were to put God the Father into James' example here as the hosting the assembly, then we would be the poor man. Every last one of us we be shunned and told to stand in the back or sit like a servant or slave in the worst spot. Jesus would be the only rich man at the whole assembly, and He and God would have no need for us even being there. Had God, through Jesus, not reached down to those lesser than himself; we would be left with no hope, destined to live out this life as slaves to our sinful desires. But they chose to invite us, the poor man, into their assembly and to give us a good seat.
2.) We don't understand God's view of us. This one is fairly simple. When Christ died, He died for all. He died so that "whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life". I am the whosoever, but so is every other person on this earth. Every person stands before God on equal footing. We are all equally in need of His help. This should fuel our mission efforts to both the rich and the poor of this world. To only reach out to the rich man in hopes of advancing my social status or because he can help me out, reveals the evil in my heart. But, to only reach out to the poor man so that I wouldn't be seen as playing favorites or that I might be seen as doing my religious duty, only reveals my ignorance. But to reach out to both because I realize that they both can find hope in Christ, reveals that the Holy Spirit has taught my heart to love my neighbor as myself.
3.) We don't understand what God has called us to be. We are called heirs with Jesus, adopted sons and daughter of God, and we are blessed with the ministry of reconciliation. Big Daddy Weave released a song called 'Audience of One' while I was in college (click here to listen to it on YouTube). It really helped focus my attention on what I think is James' whole point to this passage. That we would live our life out in front of Jesus and Jesus only as our audience of one, and that we would realize that he has already helped our status more than any rich man ever could.
I firmly believe that realizing these three things will allow us to escape the sin of partiality and live freely finding our hope in Jesus alone.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Do as I say, Not as I do
Read James 1:19-27
If I had a dollar for every time I have heard the phrase "do as I say, not as I do" my bank account would be plenty full. Growing up I hated hearing that phrase, especially coming from an adult I looked up to. It made them seem like just a shell of what I expected them to be, and it placed doubt in my mind about the importance of whatever value they were trying to instil in me.
It is a phrase that rolls off the tongue well and is easy to live up to. Unfortunately, it is a phrase that leaves me feeling empty as it reveals far more than I wanted to know about the condition of my heart.
Here, James, revises our phrase to say "do as God says, just like my brother (Jesus) did." This phrase doesn't roll of the tongue quite as easily and is much more challenging. But, we also lose the empty feeling and gain a life we were meant to live.
"For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like."
I remember the first time I really sunburned my head. Growing up I learned the importance of sunscreen, mainly from the pain of forgetting to put it on. But I had never sunburned my scalp, and therefore never thought about putting sunscreen on my head. Well, after five hours on a golf course, I learned that a shaved head requires sunscreen.
After 3 or 4 days of a very sensitive scalp, the pain finally started to fade. But, with the relief also came the very embarrassing stage of every sunburn I have ever had; known only as 'The Peel'. For the next 3 days I did everything I could to speed up the peeling process. I would spend my mornings in front of the mirror trying to minimize my new 'leprous hair style', but nothing helped.
"What is wrong with your head?" were the first words out of people's mouth as they got their first look at my newly learned life lesson. But as the day went on I would forget all about the fact that my head was peeling, and respond with a confused "What do you mean?". Amazed that I could forget about my head looking so ridiculous, they would leave me with the advise of using sunscreen next time.
To the world it was ridiculous that I could look like that, not realize it, and continue on like everything was normal and right. Spiritually we are in the same situation if we are hears of the word, and not doers. We hear the word and feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit, but walk away and forget (or refuse) to make the changes that God is calling for in our lives.
In Leviticus 11:44, God tells the nation of Israel to be holy because He is holy, and 1 Peter 1:5-16 echo that for believers today. To the world, we who claim Christ look ridiculous when we live in ways that we know are in direct contradiction with the way He has called us to live. They are both amazed and confused that we could claim one thing and yet look so different. We become merely a shell of what they expect us to be and cast doubt about the importance of Jesus Christ in our lives as well as theirs.
Today I challenge you to pray to God and ask him to show you the areas of your life where you are a hearer and not a doer. Then ask Him for clear instructions on how you should make that change.
If I had a dollar for every time I have heard the phrase "do as I say, not as I do" my bank account would be plenty full. Growing up I hated hearing that phrase, especially coming from an adult I looked up to. It made them seem like just a shell of what I expected them to be, and it placed doubt in my mind about the importance of whatever value they were trying to instil in me.
It is a phrase that rolls off the tongue well and is easy to live up to. Unfortunately, it is a phrase that leaves me feeling empty as it reveals far more than I wanted to know about the condition of my heart.
Here, James, revises our phrase to say "do as God says, just like my brother (Jesus) did." This phrase doesn't roll of the tongue quite as easily and is much more challenging. But, we also lose the empty feeling and gain a life we were meant to live.
"For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like."
I remember the first time I really sunburned my head. Growing up I learned the importance of sunscreen, mainly from the pain of forgetting to put it on. But I had never sunburned my scalp, and therefore never thought about putting sunscreen on my head. Well, after five hours on a golf course, I learned that a shaved head requires sunscreen.
After 3 or 4 days of a very sensitive scalp, the pain finally started to fade. But, with the relief also came the very embarrassing stage of every sunburn I have ever had; known only as 'The Peel'. For the next 3 days I did everything I could to speed up the peeling process. I would spend my mornings in front of the mirror trying to minimize my new 'leprous hair style', but nothing helped.
"What is wrong with your head?" were the first words out of people's mouth as they got their first look at my newly learned life lesson. But as the day went on I would forget all about the fact that my head was peeling, and respond with a confused "What do you mean?". Amazed that I could forget about my head looking so ridiculous, they would leave me with the advise of using sunscreen next time.
To the world it was ridiculous that I could look like that, not realize it, and continue on like everything was normal and right. Spiritually we are in the same situation if we are hears of the word, and not doers. We hear the word and feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit, but walk away and forget (or refuse) to make the changes that God is calling for in our lives.
In Leviticus 11:44, God tells the nation of Israel to be holy because He is holy, and 1 Peter 1:5-16 echo that for believers today. To the world, we who claim Christ look ridiculous when we live in ways that we know are in direct contradiction with the way He has called us to live. They are both amazed and confused that we could claim one thing and yet look so different. We become merely a shell of what they expect us to be and cast doubt about the importance of Jesus Christ in our lives as well as theirs.
Today I challenge you to pray to God and ask him to show you the areas of your life where you are a hearer and not a doer. Then ask Him for clear instructions on how you should make that change.
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