Listening and Obeying

[rizen1]

Listening and Obeying
James1:19-25

19 My dear brothers and sisters, always be more willing to listen than to speak. Keep control of your anger. 20 Anger does not help you live the way God wants. 21 So get rid of everything evil in your lives—every kind of wrong you do. Be humble and accept God’s teaching that is planted in your hearts. This teaching can save you.

22 Do what God’s teaching says; don’t just listen and do nothing. When you only sit and listen, you are fooling yourselves. 23 Hearing God’s teaching and doing nothing is like looking at your face in the mirror 24 and doing nothing about what you saw. You go away and immediately forget how bad you looked. 25 But when you look into God’s perfect law that sets people free, pay attention to it. If you do what it says, you will have God’s blessing. Never just listen to his teaching and forget what you heard.

 

[TaylorDonBarret]

"And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked." 1 John 2:3-6

 

[mecco]

Listening and Obeying
James1:19-25

19 My dear brothers and sisters, always be more willing to listen than to speak. Keep control of your anger. 20 Anger does not help you live the way God wants. 21 So get rid of everything evil in your lives—every kind of wrong you do. Be humble and accept God’s teaching that is planted in your hearts. This teaching can save you.

22 Do what God’s teaching says; don’t just listen and do nothing. When you only sit and listen, you are fooling yourselves. 23 Hearing God’s teaching and doing nothing is like looking at your face in the mirror 24 and doing nothing about what you saw. You go away and immediately forget how bad you looked. 25 But when you look into God’s perfect law that sets people free, pay attention to it. If you do what it says, you will have God’s blessing. Never just listen to his teaching and forget what you heard.

Hello risen!
so it seems that God is talking to you about controlling your anger. James is right, it is not His way, and that it's easy to forget when you are in the midst of a stressful or frustrating situation. Notice that James ends it with a promise of a blessing. ("This teaching can save you." "You will have God's blessing")
"Planted" (1:21) reminds me ofJesus' parable of the sower. God's word is planted in our hearts there too, but some hearts are more willing to accept it.
Thanks for the posting...what do you see in it?
Mecco

 

[mecco]

"And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked." 1 John 2:3-6

Hello TaylorDonBarret!
John makes life with Christ so black and white....either you know Him, and obey His commands, or are a liar. I think John was trying to encourage the church to "love one another", not judge each other. Then the "love of God is perfected" because each one has practiced trying to love as Jesus commanded.
Thanks for the posting...what do you see in the scripture?
Mecco

 

[rizen1]

Hello risen!
so it seems that God is talking to you about controlling your anger

I didn't know i was angry.
The last time I was angry was when I had to do a report on the murder of Emmett Till
a few years back, but then I remember that everyone has to answer to God.
What brought you to the conclusion that i was angry, did we meet in person recently ?

 

[mecco]

I didn't know i was angry.
The last time I was angry was when I had to do a report on the murder of Emmett Till
a few years back, but then I remember that everyone has to answer to God.
What brought you to the conclusion that i was angry, did we meet in person recently ?

Hello risen! No, I doubt we have met! But the verse you chose starts off talking about anger; why would you chose that one? Maybe God is talking to you about anger?
What do you see in your scripture selection?
Mecco

 

[rizen1]

why would you chose that one?

It's from my list of daily reading that I post, after I read them I post it.

 

[TaylorDonBarret]

Hello TaylorDonBarret!
John makes life with Christ so black and white....either you know Him, and obey His commands, or are a liar. I think John was trying to encourage the church to "love one another", not judge each other. Then the "love of God is perfected" because each one has practiced trying to love as Jesus commanded.
Thanks for the posting...what do you see in the scripture?
Mecco

Basically what you said. That if we are truly Christian then we not only believe (even the demons believe) but we will also be striving to obey Christ; living in sincere repentance. James says that faith without works is dead and good for nothing; Christ says that not all who call Him 'Lord' will be saved. Paul says (Hebrews) that if we keep on sinning after we come to the full knowledge of the truth then there remains no sacrifice left for us. So, I think the bottom line is that we are saved by grace through faith, but that faith is proven by a supernatural change in our attitudes and behaviors that is evident to the outside world.