Do you ever ask something of somebody only to be given an "okay" or a "yes" and then you are seemingly ignored? If you are a parent, I am sure you understand what it feels like to have a child answer you but then ignore whatever was to be acted upon. So I wonder, how is it that God can stand any of us? So many of us, myself included, have read and heard God's words and shook our head approvingly, but then we failed to act upon the head shaking and approval. Every so often I will catch myself in somewhat of a "preacher mode" telling somebody what it might look like to respond to God's words. If it does not happen, for some reason I tend to get a tad bit irritated with that individual. Here is where my problem is: I tell them and expect the "right" action to take place... and then I realize that I am not acting the way I am expecting them to act. I sit and ponder the "really?" of the situation and the irritation is replaced by conviction for my own pride. A verse that has always struck me (other than this one and many many others) is Matthew 7:21 (you should look it up... pretty sweet really). Just because I read Scripture, hear it, say it, cry it, scream it, preach it, that does not mean I am automatically living it. With all of the saying, singing, crying, we must act on it. How can I expect any other to follow and do what Christ teaches when I sometimes talk it but fail to walk it?
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"But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves."
~*James 1:22 (NLT)*~
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