Don’t Merely Listen

 

“Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

—ames 1:21-22

In the last few decades of my professional career, I oversaw the education and training of hundreds of fire protection engineers. As Director of Loss Prevention Training at Industrial Risk Insurers—one of the largest Highly Protected Risk (HPR) insurance companies—I had the distinct privilege of watching our team of instructors teach a wide variety of types of individuals who moved through our fire protection engineering and loss prevention certification programs. In addition to teaching our own 400+ field engineers, we also offered a one-week course twenty times each year to non-employees. Over the years I was in charge, several thousands of individuals, who came from a wide range of businesses and government, attended those classes.

In observing the differences in the way individuals receive information and apply it to the tasks at hand, I noticed that some people not only listened to what the instructors told them, they readily applied that information during the practical exercises we offered. Since we taught at the largest fire protection training laboratory in the world (at that time), we saw first-hand how people processed the instructions they received.

Sometimes, it was quite frustrating to observe someone attentively listening in the classroom, taking notes, even asking thoughtful questions, but who went out into the laboratory and either totally forgot or purposely ignored the instruction they had just received.

One instructor, who had a unique sense of humor, tried an experiment with one such individual. The instructor spoke one-on-one to this person and told him exactly the opposite of what the instructions would normally suggest. Sure enough, when that person went out into the lab, he performed the task very close to the way we would have wanted him to do it. In other words, he ignored the faulty instructions and did it his way—which just happened to be nearly the right way.

I imagine that God watches how we respond to His instruction that we receive through His Word, the Bible, in much the same way as we did at our training center. He feels pleasure when He sees His dearly loved children responding to His instruction and following the pathway He has provided. He may also look with dismay at those whom He has carefully taught through the indwelling Holy Spirit, but who discard or ignore His teachings.

The Apostle James summed up this kind of behavior in a warning he gave to the people of Israel when he wrote these words in James 1:21-22:

Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

Listening alone is not enough. Reading God’s Word is not enough. God expects us to be both hearers of His Word and doers of His Word. God wants us to actively pursue His righteousness by following His instructions. He gives these teachings to us for our benefit. The more that our spiritual formation inculcates God’s righteousness as a natural part of our lives, the more we will rest confidently in the fullness of His mercy, grace, and love.

“Obedient children not only listen to God’s instructions, they do what He says.” That’s my thought for you and for me, too, as we begin another day. “Obedient children not only listen to God’s instructions, they do what He says.” That’s a good idea to plant deep within our hearts, not only for this day, but for every day.

 

_{Copyright © 2016 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}