For it is not those
who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the
law who will be declared righteous.
I recall as a child attending church each Sunday, hearing
the Word being read, and then departing back into the world once the service
ended. And most times, we were barely 5 minutes down the road to home when I
was fully engaged in some kind of fighting or devious behavior with my brother.
I went through the motions in church, absorbed some of the content when I wasn’t
day-dreaming, and then returned to life as usual with little to no
transformation from what had been preached. But during my high school years, a
series of challenging events rattled my conscience to the core. I begin to
realize that merely going through the motions, checking all the right boxes, and
attending church like a “good Christian” was me woefully underserving the Lord.
Through the Holy Spirit, I came to feel what is said in the text above from
Romans and stated in James 1:22, “Do not
merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” I
was a fool, fooled into thinking that I was somehow doing right because I
performed some activities each week at church. Spiritually, I was an infant. I
realized my infancy when I was 14 and a friend passed away. This friend carried
a reputation as a young man with great faith…in fact many had witnessed him
saying that whenever God wanted to take him, he was ready. At age 14, his faith
was already deep and strong. I was intrigued and felt prompted to pick up a
Bible and start reading. Like any other book, I started at page 1. At age 14,
after years of proclaiming my Christian faith, I had no idea how to actually
read the Bible. I was a spiritual infant. Thankfully the Holy Spirit has
completed major renovations in my life, and to this day, continues to knock down
walls and build up new ones. The Spirit has made it boldly clear that talking
the talk without walking the walk is of no real value. I can’t just hear the
Word preached, sing a few hymns, and then return to a life largely focused on
serving my sinful desires and personal gains. That’s not what God calls for.
God calls for a life devoted to serving him…a life that absorbs his Word daily
and then actually works to put it into play. The road I have walked and
continue to walk today is not without trials, challenges, and the occasional fall.
Walking with the Lord is not a guarantee for a trouble free life. In fact at
times, it can seem like the opposite. But it is THE right path, it is the best
path, and it is the most beneficial path for our lives…period. When I look back
and compare where I was early in life to where I am now, there is nothing I value
more than my relationship with the Lord. There is nothing I am more thankful for
than the work the Lord has done to transform me spiritually to where I am now. God’s
commands and my relationship with him impacts every single part of my life…as a
father, a son, a husband, and a man…it has made every relationship and role I
hold in this life immeasurably better. No question about it. May we seek and follow
the Lord each day…may we work to deepen our relationship with him by soaking in
his Word…and may we take his commands and actually put them into play in our
lives. No more pretending, no more posing, and no more delaying. To God alone
be the glory!
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