The Car Wash - Pt 2

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. (James 1:19-25 ESV).

Yesterday I began this short series dealing with the grace of change. I’ve titled it “The Car Wash” simply because the cleaning out of my old Tahoe recalled for me how easy it is to simply forget to do the little things each day until they become big things that require much more effort. We have often heard it said that we should not “make a mountain out of a molehill.” Having lived in Middle Tennessee for six years I am well aware of what a molehill looks like. They liked the soil in our back yard. Our dog, Teddy, was a little hard on them. More than once he caught one. I made it my mission to get rid of them as quickly as they appeared. But, like anything left unattended, they can get bigger with that neglect. This is the thought behind James’ assertion in our reading today. It is a grace to know right from wrong. James likened the Word of God to a mirror (vv. 22-25) into which we can look and see ourselves as we actually are. It is impossible to overstate how important this is. Accurate diagnosis always precedes effective cure. You only know that the board is too short because you can place it against a measuring tape. You only know that the temperature in your house is too hot because you have a thermostat. The Bible is God’s ultimate measuring instrument. It is meant to function in each of our lives as a spiritual tape measure. We can place ourselves and our relationships next to it and see if we measure up to God’s standard. God’s Word is one of his sweetest gifts of grace, and open eyes to see it clearly and an open heart to receive it willingly are sure signs of God’s grace as well. The real key is being intentional in our self-examination and then taking action as quickly as possible to correct what we find. I find in my life that the longer I wait to work on those little habits that indicate a problem, the longer and more difficult it becomes to change. Make it your priority today to both examine your life in light of the Scripture and take the first step toward changing. You will be glad you did.