Reading… and Thinking

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. 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.

– James 1:19-22 (NIV)

There are at least five topics in these few sentences that could be developed into excellent short studies:

1. Be quick to listen to others, and not so quick to voice your own opinion or advice.
2. Curb your anger. It really is within your control. Your anger will never lead you to do right.
3. Remove immoral influences from your life. Our culture is full of evil; don't welcome it in.
4. Don't resist the Word. Humbly accept God's instruction. Think about it and let it grow in you.
5. Reading the Bible and showing up at meeting on Sunday aren't enough (although they are very good!) You must do what the Word of God says.

There are parts of the Word that are long narratives. These parts are valuable to help us understand the people involved – they are often the parts that we can identify with most readily. It might take a chapter or two to develop a single lesson; but that lesson is conveyed powerfully because it is linked to the lives of real people.

And then there are other parts that are super-concentrated. There's so much packed into so few words, that you really have to do a lot of thinking about it. And next time, you'll still find something you missed!

James is in the second group. There is just a ton of practical teaching in there. It takes meditation to gain the full benefit.

Meditation, in the Biblical sense, is kind of a lost art these days. I'm not talking about Eastern style meditation, where you empty your mind. That's relaxing, but it doesn't actually get you closer to God (although it can be useful in clearing out the clutter of non-godly thoughts). The meditation that I'm talking about is when you spend time just thinking, turning over the words and concepts in your mind. Your body is idle, but your mind is not. When David said God’s law was his “meditation all the day,” he didn't mean he was emptying his mind. He was thinking about what he had read in God’s law.

These few verses in James are a good illustration of “God’s Word Concentrate”. There's too much in there to absorb in the few seconds it takes to read them. So, make it a point to think about them over the next day or two. Really give some time and attention to them – concentrate! What examples from your own experience can you think of that reinforce what James says? Or is there anything in your experience that conflicts – and if there seems to be a conflict, why? What can you do in a practical way, to put into practice what he is encouraging you to do?

If you make a conscious effort to think about what you read in God's Word, you'll find that there's lots to think about!