Are We Deceiving Ourselves?
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. – James 1:22
One of Jesus’ most famous parables was told to illustrate this very point. After promising that on the day of judgment some who had called him Lord in their lives and had even been involved in many good works would be condemned because they had not actually obeyed him (Matt. 7:21-23), Jesus went on to say that “everyone then who HEARS these words of mine and DOES them” will be like a wise man who built his house on a rock and thus was able to withstand the storm (Matt. 7:24-25). On the other hand, “everyone who HEARS these words of mine and DOES NOT DO them” will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand and as a result had it fall when the storm came (Matt. 7:26-27).
Are we deceiving ourselves, by failing to engage in the works which we have been created to do?
We all have heard of the proverbial unhealthy person who is told over and over again that he needs to lose weight/exercise more/stop smoking/eat right, and who completely agrees…and yet never does anything that he needs to do in spite of having repeatedly heard the truth. Are we like him, spiritually? Do we love to go to church and hear a good sermon…but fail to apply the scriptural message of that sermon to our lives? Are we like the people God told Ezekiel about in Ezekiel 33:30-32?
“As for you, son of man, your people who talk together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, say to one another, each to his brother, ‘Come, and HEAR what the word is that comes from the Lord.’ And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they HEAR what you say but they WILL NOT DO IT; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain. And behold, you are to them like one who sings lustful songs with a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument, for they HEAR what you say, but they WILL NOT DO IT.”
Something to think about…