Humbly Accept The Word Planted In You

12-1-23

James 1:19-25 NIV1984

19  My dear brothers,  take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak  and slow to become angry, 20  for man’s anger  does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. 21  Therefore, get rid of  all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you,  which can save you. 22  Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.  23  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 24  and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25  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.

I was waiting in the doctor’s office yesterday and took the time to pray.  I was asking the Father to meet with me and guide me for the day since I had missed my quiet time in the morning.  God immediately spoke to me by the Holy Spirit with a scripture “Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.”  There are six items in this one short verse that became so apparent in my life:

1. Get rid of

• a. Moral filth 

• b. Evil that is so prevalent

2. Humbly accept

• a. The word planted in you

• b. Which can save you

What the Holy Spirit showed was that there is so much “moral filth” that has become acceptable in the world and society that has crept into my life, the lives of other Christians, and even the church.  I have thought of myself as a moral person but then this example Jesus taught came to mind:

9  To some who were confident of their own righteousness  and looked down on everybody else,  Jesus told this parable: 10  “Two men went up to the temple to pray,  one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11  The Pharisee stood up  and prayed about  himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12  I fast  twice a week and give a tenth  of all I get.’ 13  “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast  and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’  14  “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”        (Luke 18:9-14 NIV1984)

I cried as I read this passage of scripture because I had always thought of myself as basically a good person.  However, God showed me how much like the Pharisee I had become!  The tax collector was walking in true repentance with the realization of how great his sin was.  If, like the Pharisee, I compare myself to others in the world I can look pretty good.  But that’s having a “righteousness of my own” and my righteousness before God is like filthy rags!  Thank you Jesus for so great a salvation you have freely given me!

James said to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.  My anger does not bring about the righteous life He desires for me.  When I react quickly to happenings in my life I can become angry.  That’s my anger (man’s anger) and it leads me away from the “righteous life that God desires” for me. I must be quick to listen and slow to speak so that this righteous life might be attained.  When I intently look at the word of God that brings freedom, making it a habit to do so, running all my thoughts experiences and actions through it, not just hearing but doing what it says to do, then I will be blessed in what I do.  Keep this in mind though.  The blessing is the righteous life God desires for me.  The world says that a blessing is to become rich, powerful, and influential.  Some churches teach this same message – the prosperity gospel.  The true blessing of God is an empowerment to carry out the calling He has placed on my life as I seek to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:1-3).  When I put the word of God into practice, He blesses me to walk in humility for “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:9-14 NIV1984).

This is the message that God is asking me to learn today:

Get rid of the worldly views and practices within me: “the moral filth and evil that is so prevalent.”  They separate me from God. He desires for me to accept, with humility, the word He has planted in me because it has the power to save me (restore me to fellowship with Him as His child). God desires to bless me to walk humbly in His ways because His ways bring about the righteous life He desires for me.