Episode Transcript
PRAYER OF CONSECRATION
Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
Abba, I belong to you.
I lift up my heart to you.
I set my mind on you.
I fix my eyes on you.
I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice.
Abba, we belong to you.
Praying in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.
James 1:22–25 (NIV)
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
CONSIDER THIS
We come to our fifth formative, Spirit-empowered way of engaging the Word of God. It is the most important one.
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
The R-word: rehearse. If we do not practice the Word of God, all of our other engagements are for naught. Listen to the prescient words of Jesus on this same point from the celebrated Sermon on the Mount:
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." (Matt. 7:24–27)
The only difference between these persons? They both heard the Word of God. They both built houses. They both faced horrific storms. The only difference between the two people is one put the words of God into practice and the other did not. This alone makes the difference between building on rock and building on sand.
Consider the mnemonic device of the five fingers. This fifth practice represents the thumb. Try picking something up without your thumb. The four fingers are rendered incompetent without a thumb. So it goes if we read, ruminate, rememberize, and research without rehearsing the Word of God. In fact, we engage the Word of God in all these ways in order that we might become better at doing what it says. Only when we actually do God's Word does it become enfleshed in our own lives. Only when we do God's Word can it become a blessing to others for their good and a witness to others of God's glory.
THE PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
Lord Jesus—Word of God from before the beginning—our Great Teacher,
Thank you for bringing it down to utter clarity, Jesus. It makes for a simple and clear prayer. Make me a doer of your Word and not just a hearer.
It will be for your glory, for others' gain, and for our good.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise him all creatures here below. Praise him above ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen!
