Recently I’ve had the spiritual blahs and when I’m not in a state of total apathy, I have been trying to analyzing what is causing this. Yesterday in Sunday School something was said that hit me square between the eyes and I share that here with you now.
When we read the Bible and find something in there that we can’t swallow, oftentimes we come up with amazing justifications for why we do not need to follow that command. In an effort to avoid God’s ways, we become skilled inventors of new systems that are full of loopholes to help us in our endeavor to disobey. Instead of reading, believing and obeying…we read, doubt, mistrust and lean on our own understanding. We think: Surely God couldn’t mean what this says here in Romans; Clearly this applied to the people of Ephesus in that culture and not our own; This problem was just never experienced in the Bible times; etc.
But, in the wise words of Christian speaker, Julie Barnhill, ‘we need to stop dinkin’ around!’ We need to take the Word of God seriously, gals. We must stop justifying our sin.
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 a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it–he will be blessed in what he does.
James 1: 22-25
We must be *wise* and not foolish as we hear the Word. The wise person sees herself when sin is pointed out and is convicted; the fool justifies, points to others (THEY sure have a problem with THAT sin), and deceives self with being okay with the filth of sin in her life.
How often do I read the Word of God and not let it penetrate my heart? I allow myself to become distracted by other things so that I don’t have to come face to face with the sin in my life. I do not take God nor His Word seriously. When I choose to yell at my kids, when I’m impatient and easily frustrated, I’m not taking Ephesians 4: 2-6 seriously. I’m not leaning on God’s wisdom, but rather my own understanding (“I must yell or this child will never understand”). I read “be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love” and think I have the option whether or not to follow it. Or I think “oh, that’s good advice”, but then allow my own emotions to ignore that advice and let my anger rule.
If I’m not taking the Bible seriously, I’m not taking my sin seriously…and of course my relationship with God is going to suffer as well as my relationship with other people!
When you read the Word of God, how are you taking it?
Iron 2 Iron 
Wendy, this is so true. It is not easy to look at yourself objectively to the Word. I am so thankful for Sanctification!
I know I need change to certain areas of my life, but my actions don’t jump to show it, which makes me think maybe I don’t really take the Word as seriously as I think I do!
I say to myself, “I’m definitely going to work on that area of sin in my life!” So I start running this leg of the race with my eyes on Jesus, but in the course of the day, I trip. I fall. I get distracted by a glittery “pretty” off to the side and after a day or two, I find myself walking along at comfortable, slow pace, am I even moving? I know I need to continue to run the race with my eyes focused on Jesus and be willing to get up every day and run the race even if I fell down yesterday, and even if this leg of the race doesn’t have a quick end. (Am I willing to run it for the next 10 years if necessary or do I give up at some point?)
Lately, as I struggle with sin I can’t seem to overcome, I’m thinking that the “fruit” of that struggle may be a willingness to not give up, but to wake up each day, refreshed, purposeful, and prayerfully seek Jesus’ face so that I can start the run again, and again, and again, and again…never giving up, and never becoming content in my sin.