More than a Glance

More than a Glance
Friday, January 17, 2020
by Dr. Paul Chappell

“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”

James 1:22–25

Over the years I’ve heard a few people say that while they tried doing what the Bible said, they found it didn’t work so they stopped trying to follow the Word of God. But the Bible is not a magic pill that we take once and have all of our problems resolved. It is truth, but the “cure” must be constantly applied. We have to do what the Bible says and keep on doing it to receive the blessings promised for obedience.

James used the illustration of a man looking in a mirror to communicate this truth. You can take a quick glance at a mirror as you walk by and see if anything major is out of place. But in order to fully inspect yourself, it takes more than a glance. James said that not only must we take the time to look deeply and seriously into the Word of God, but that we must continue to do so throughout our lives.

The Christian who takes the Bible casually will never be a victorious Christian. It is not enough just to glance in the mirror on Sunday mornings. In addition to the public teaching and preaching of the Word, each of us needs a regular infusion of truth from God in our lives. We need to read God’s Word with an open heart and mind, willing to do whatever God says.
Today's Growth Principle:
Spiritual growth requires consistent, persistent, and continuing obedience to God’s Word.

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Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. --Colossians 3:21 When it comes to disciplining your children, do you ever find yourself majoring in minors? Parents have to be very careful not to break a child’s spirit by constantly finding fault, nagging, and criticizing. In discipline, you and I are to be reasonable, right, respectful, and real. Now I’m not saying that you should be lacking in discipline. Yes, you should establish firm, age-appropriate guidelines for your children. And sometimes correction and consequences are a part of parenting. But, many kids are hassled and provoked because parents worry about things that don’t mean anything. Some parents are more interested in pushing their kids to the top of the success ladder at school or in athletics than seeing them succeed spiritually. Are you guilty? According to our verse today, we are not to “provoke” our children. Don’t worry so much about the things that have little impact on eternity, on their moral character, or on their spiritual strength. We shouldn’t push our children to succeed because of our own failures. Nor should we use our children to compete against others. Today I want to ask you to take inventory. When it comes to parenting, are you majoring on the minors… or majoring on what’s most important? TAKE INVENTORY OF THE PRIORITIES YOU HAVE FOR YOUR CHILDREN. IS THEIR SPIRITUAL CHARACTER ON THE LIST?