Close Your Window!

 

“The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge but to change our lives.” D.L. Moody

 

  Earlier this month a Massachusetts man left the sunroof on his family’s minivan open in 63-degree weather only to return to the vehicle two days later to find it filled with about nine inches of snow. Steve Maguire of Scituate said he and his family took a ride in his wife’s minivan on a Saturday with the windows down to enjoy the record-high temperatures in New England. 

  “Saturday was so beautiful I'm like, ‘I’ve got to get some of the kids out of the house,” he told a local TV station. “It was 63 degrees here.” But Maguire said he didn’t realize until returning to the vehicle that he’d left the sunroof open, allowing about nine inches of snow to accumulate inside.

  “When I opened the van, I’m thinking it's Valentine's Day. It’s my wife’s car. This is not going to end well. I came in and said, ‘I hope you're in a good mood because there are about nine inches of snow in the van.’”

  Maguire said the situation could have been much worse. “This could only happen in New England. I’m grateful it wasn’t rain, and it was super easy to clean up because it was so light and fluffy.”

  Here’s the kicker! Maguire admitted he should have known better. “I’m a high school teacher and one of the electives I teach is meteorology. So if anyone knows the weather, I should know the weather.”

  That’s my problem. It’s probably your problem too – I know better than I do. I know that I shouldn’t say what I say, but the words are out of my mouth faster than a bass spitting out a hook. I know that I shouldn’t get irritated at that person talking on their phone at the next table in the restaurant but the heat is up in my heart faster than a microwave. I know I shouldn’t look down on that homeless person asking for handouts but “King Scott” who has it all together is ascending the throne of my soul.

  I’m so grateful that my Heavenly Father is gracious, as I come to Him again and again because even though I knew better, I didn’t do better. I’m a “spiritual loser,” yet He still loved me and gave His Son to pay for my sin…and He always forgives me (1 John 1:9).

  This is a reality of all of life in a sin-contaminated world. Knowing something, knowing the truth too often doesn’t break down into transformed behavior. As James warns us, “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22).

  But you must know the truth before you can apply the truth. The Bible is the source of truth. It’s the absolute standard. Maguire knew the truth of meteorology, yet failed to live up to what he knew. We do the same thing.

  There are two spiritual disciplines that are vital for a healthy, growing Christian life – reading God’s Word and prayer. When I open my Bible, God speaks to me. When I pray, I speak to God. Yet, there is no excuse for a Christian in America to not regularly spend time in the Word. We will never do the right things as believers if we’re not letting God’s Word soak through our souls.

  Please understand, I’m not suggesting some kind of spiritual Olympics. Five or ten minutes consistently in the Word is a great place to start. Start with one of the four Gospels or the Epistles. It’s much better to read some Scripture consistently than to read none and stay spiritually ignorant.

  Truth without application is foolish. James continues with, “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 1:23-25). The purpose of looking at yourself in a mirror is to make change as necessary. That’s true of God’s Word, too.

  The purpose of reading God’s Word is not for education or information. It’s for life-change, spiritual transformation. The same is true of listening to a sermon or participating in a small group. As John Stott said, “We must allow the Word of God to confront us, to disturb our security, to undermine our complacency and to overthrow our patterns of thought and behavior.”

  Reading my Bible is a waste of time if it’s not being applied to my life if I’m not becoming more and more like Jesus. It’s spiritual work. The Holy Spirit must empower me and work in my life to bring about that change. Yet, if I don’t know God’s truth, He doesn’t have material to work with.

  In America, it’s polite to say “good sermon” to the preacher as we exit. BUT it’s not a good sermon if it’s not applied to our lives. It was just a nice talk. The purpose of God’s truth whether read or listened to is to make you and me more like the Savior (Romans 12:2).

  Faithful application begins on the inside. James 1:19, “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.” James’s initial focus isn’t external, it’s internal. God is much more concerned about my heart and character than He is about my behavior. The fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, gentleness, kindness, peace, patience, self-control, etc.) begins in my soul and will then be evidenced in my life.

  Too many Christians erroneously believe Christianity is evidenced by externalism, i.e., the way you dress, the things you do or don’t do. It’s not! That was the focus of the men who crucified Jesus, the Pharisees. It’s why a lost world is often repulsed by professing Christians.

  It’s increasingly common today to see online or in our churches “Christians” claiming to defend the gospel who fail to demonstrate attitudes and character in line with that same gospel. They’re arrogant, mean, and sometimes even hateful.

  The most wonderful thing that can be said of us was said of those early disciples, “And they recognized that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). That happens as we spend time in God’s Word and sit under Bible teaching – and apply it to our lives. To know the truth but fail to apply it is as foolish as leaving your sunroof window open in the middle of January. 

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.