DRAWING NEAR
June 10
Applying the Word Without Delay
"If anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a
man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has
looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten
what kind of person he was" (James 1:23-24).
Men, have you ever been at work and touched your face, only to
realize that you forgot to shave? Perhaps you were distracted by your
wife's call to breakfast or by one of the kids. Ladies, have you ever
been out in public and suddenly realized that you forgot to apply
some of your makeup? Those are common occurrences that illustrate
what it means to hear God's Word but fail to respond.
James 1:23 says, "If anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer,
he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror." "Looks"
doesn't refer to a casual glance but to a careful, cautious,
observant stare. This person is taking a good, long look at himself.
Hearers of the Word are not necessarily superficial or casual in
their approach to Scripture. They can be serious students of the
Word. The fact is, some seminary professors or Sunday School teachers
are not true believers. Some even write commentaries and other Bible
reference works. Your response to the Word--not your depth of study
alone--is the issue with God.
Despite the hearer's lingering look, he failed to respond and the
image reflected in the mirror soon faded. That's reminiscent of Jesus
saying, "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not
understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been
sown in his heart" (Matt. 13:19). The Word was sown but it bore no
fruit. The man looked into the mirror but he made no corrections.
Perhaps there's something God's Word is instructing you to do that
you've been putting off. If so, delay no longer. Don't be a forgetful
hearer!
Suggestions for Prayer:
Ask God to teach you to be more disciplined in responding to the
dictates of His Word.
For Further Study:
Read Matthew 13:1-23, noting the various soils and what they
represent.
Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
Matthew 13:1-23
13:1 On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.
2 And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got
into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
3 Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: "Behold, a
sower went out to sow.
4 "And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds
came and devoured them.
5 "Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth;
and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.
6 "But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had
no root they withered away.
7 "And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked
them.
8 "But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a
hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
9 "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"
10 And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them
in parables?"
11 He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you
to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has
not been given.
12 "For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have
abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken
away from him.
13 "Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do
not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
14 "And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:
'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will
see and not perceive;
15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are
hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should
see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should
understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.'
16 "But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they
hear;
17 "for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men
desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you
hear, and did not hear it.
18 "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:
19 "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not
understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was
sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.
20 "But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who
hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;
21 "yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For
when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word,
immediately he stumbles.
22 "Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the
word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches
choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.
23 "But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the
word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a
hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."
~~~
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.
You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:
http://www2.oneplace.com/Ministries/Grace_to_You/
and
http://www.gty.org.uk/
You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
letters@gty.org
NOTE for those of you reading via newsgroups: If you wish to reach
me, please contact me via e-mail for quickest results.
In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase1@wideopenwest.com
STOP! Who do you think Jesus is?
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To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner was you. -Alistair Begg
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