Today...I was helping out at my church...The Youth Department had a Back to School Bash...for the youth of our church...it was a very successful event...I had the opportunity to sit in on a seminar facilitated by a local elementary school principal...after a dynamic presentation...the two of us began to talk...one thing lead to another...and I accepted an invitation to speak to the entire elementary school on their first day of school...which is this Wednesday...
So here I am...with absolutely nothing to say...I have no idea what I could say to a body of small children...I have no problem speaking to my peers...I have no problem speaking to teenagers...but the little ones...intimidate me...I have imagined myself hearing "the crickets chirp" as I try to rely a relevant message to the mass of Hannah Montana and Spongebob fans...
As I struggle to find the words for my speech...What would you say? If you had the opportunity to speak to the masses...now Wednesday my "masses" will be a group of students grades K-5...but everyday...we cross paths with our "masses"...at work...at church...at school...in the grocery store...and God has charged us to be ready at all times to speak an encouraging word into the lives of our "masses".
Our Sunday school lesson this week...deals with James 1:22-27...Being Doers of the Word...
22But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23For 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: 24For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25But 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. 26If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. 27Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
Hearing the Word of God and not doing it...James says...is like looking in the mirror and forgetting what we look like...The Word tells us what we should look like, but we forget what it says we should do...James says in verse 26 "If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but decieveth his own heart, this man's religion is in vain."...We have been charged to talk right...to use our voice for God's purposes...for we seem to be religious...we have a form of Godliness...when we choose not to speak an encouraging word to our neighbor.
James is begging us to put on holiness...to seek to be more Christ-like...allow the word to show you how to live your life...give in to His authority...Let's pray...
Lord...you are so holy...we desire to be more like you...we want to everything you have called us to do...Allow us to grow in you...give us a boldness for you...a desire to intercede on behalf of our "masses"...God we love you...we need you...Thank you for Jesus...Thank you for grace and mercy...Have your way in our lives...that you may get all the glory and your kingdom be advanced...it is in the matchless name of Jesus...we pray this prayer...Amen!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment