Skip to main content

James 1:24

and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.
(NIV)

This is the path to self deception. Look into God's Word. It reveals who you are. You have the opportunity to change, but you don't. You will (rest assured) deceive yourself.

This is a warning. It is a promise. If you do not change, as a result of looking into the Word, you will deceive yourself.

What is that deception?

You think that your stance with God is acceptable. You are OK. You walk away thinking that you are pretty good.

If a young teenage boy goes to the mirror in the morning, realizes that he has bed-head or maybe he sees a huge blemish on the end of his nose, but walks away without doing anything about his hair or popping the zit... He may go through the day, thinking he is OK, but everyone around him can see the problems.

Something needs to be done about the problems.

Don't go to God's word without changing as a result. Maybe even when you are reading this post (not because of my words, but because of the quote from the Bible at the top) you might realize some blemishes in your own life. Be a doer and a hearer. Don't deceive yourself. If you walk away unchanged then you are self-deceived.

In Matthew 7 Jesus tells us of a large number of people who will stand before God, ready to enter in, but Christ tells them "...depart from me, I never knew you." These people respond in a state of alarm. They are surprised by this. How did they enter into this state of self-deception? Maybe it was by hearing the Word, but not being a doer.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

James 4:1

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? (NIV) This is truly an amazing verse, applicable in so many ways. What is the underlying cause of fights and quarrels?  It is your desires that are battling within you.  The outer war that is going on with others in your life is a result of the inner skirmish.  The reason why I love this verse is because when I stop and consider, when I am truly honest with myself, at the heart of every argument has been a wrong desire. I am not necessarily talking about every time I have been argued with or every time someone has disagreed with me, I am referring to the times when things have crumbled into a dispute...  Those times when peace wasn't being made. (Consider James 3:18 ) Next time there is an erosion into a dispute in your life, stop for that moment and consider what the desire is that is at the root of the fight.  Then eliminate it and become a peacemaker.

Hebrews 11:24-25

By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. (NIV) Moses had the chance to align himself with the rich and the famous. He had the opportunity to really make it in this world. To be the son of Pharaoh's daughter, the possibilities could have seemed endless. The world wants to paint that picture for us. A place that is endless in possibility. But Moses knew that the pleasures of sin only last a season. He knew that to truly have endless possibility, it would require the alignment with the people of God, so that is exactly what he did. How did he know to do this? How did he know that he couldn't continue on with pharoah? The answer to that is Faith . It was faith that brought sight to this man. It is faith that will allow you to see clearly in your decision making process. Some other thoughts about this pas...

Hebrews 11:23

By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict. (NIV) My first thought when I read this was, "Well, what parent doesn't think that?" Most parents think that their child is no ordinary child those first three months. I know that I still think of my two boys as extraordinary. I know that the creator God has designed them in a unique way. I know that they have talents that have been given to them to serve the King. I may not get the chance to see my son stand toe to toe with a pharaoh of Egypt or call down plagues, but I do think that I will get the chance to see them serve their purpose. I also want to point out that Moses' parents hid him for those three months. They didn't flaunt him, the chose a course of action that was very practical. Some would have you think that if it isn't flamboyant and take unnecessary risks, then it isn't fai...