Seeing

 James 1.25 NLT

But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

 

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This morning I was reading through James 1. I heard God's clear call to me: 

...be quick to hear, slow to speak... 

"Yes, Lord, you are right. I still need to grow here. I interrupted someone again last night before an idea was able to be completely shared. I failed miserably at being quick to hear and slow to speak. I am so sorry."

Just a few verses later He catches me in my fault (clearly He knows me well): 

...don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says...

"Oh, Lord, help me to walk in this truth. It will bless others, it will bless me, it will bless You. It is hardest to do with those closest to me. Help me."

And yet again, two verses later, He interrupts my stream of consciousness with this great and marvelous counsel:.

...But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free...

Ah, yes, look carefully, Dar. Look carefully. 

Other translations put it this way: look intently; peer and fix our attention there.

My interpretation: give it more than a cursory glance. Not an "I read this chapter and can check the box" kind of reading. 

Of course not. Clearly His perfect law deserves more. After all, it is a wealth laid before us, a treasure box to be discovered. It requires that we fix our attention. Take care. Look with attentiveness and keen fascination. 

All of these ideas were meditated on because I took His admonition to heart. I looked up various versions; I chewed on the meaning of each one and looked up definitions of words used. I needed to be schooled in that simple promise: But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free...

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This morning as I read James, was I sensing freedom in the call to be quick to hear and slow to speak? Not really. Hope, and a desire to do so, yes, but freedom? Maybe not quite.

Was it freeing to be told that I should not merely listen but that I should do? Hmmm...not exactly. 

Have I had great success in this over the past 50 years of following Jesus? NO. I've had some success, perhaps even fair success. 

But am I there yet? NO. 

And then comes this precious counsel from my Daddy in heaven:

James 1.25 NLT

But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

The perfect law provides freedom. How could I have forgotten?

Lean on Him, Dar. Cry out to Him for understanding, forgiveness, and grace to walk in obedience. There is freedom there. There is NO freedom in trying to do it yourself, neither is there freedom in continuing to live in sin. You will be a slave to sin or to flesh in those scenarios. So: repent, repent, and repent again. Turn away from those things over and over and you will find the liberty that comes through His perfect law of grace and redemption. 

Thank you, Lord, for daily sustenance and patient reminders. 

I will always love learning Your holy ways.

He Has the Right Answer

Life has been unsettling as of late. Long laid plans are dissolving, disappearing before my eyes, impacting on multiplied levels in ways I've not yet even begun to understand. Where will this lead? What will it look like? Who will I be? This is not what I had imagined. 

Shifting. As in shifting sands. Emotions are ruffled and rattled, up and down. Unsure and more than a bit insecure. And sad.

I've been found out. My God has discovered my fingers gripping tightly. He is quickly but gently peeling them away one by one, helping me to release it all. "Let go, Darlene. I am all that matters. Follow Me in this moment."

Lord, I surely long to be Yours and Yours alone. 

Stripping me again. 

Laying it down once more. Surrendering. Dying. 

Here, in this place, I find true life, true joy, true meaning. I find You. And that is infinitely better than me and my multitude of small dreams.

I needed Him this morning. Today's Proverb (according to "a Proverb-a-day" plan) was opened before me. And I was arrested. Verse 1 stopped me.

We can make our own plans, But the Lord gives the right answer.  Proverbs 16.1  NLT

 

I am a bit of a schemer, dreamer. Maybe it's the theater director in me. I build sets, determine entrances and exits, and craft words in my mind. I know what a room should look like, what that character should say and how others should respond. Well, according to me, that is...

How disappointing when said character arrives late on the scene and says the wrong thing. And why is he wearing that ill-fitting jacket? The set decor is dark red, not a lovely lavender. Shoddy upholstery is on display with a gray sky offering a dim aura; sunshine had been requested. 

Ah! But here He is, meeting me. His Word is calling out to me through eternity. 

This verse before me holds a key -- the key. A precious truth, a timeless secret for those who would ask. Accept it, and believe: 

...the Lord gives the right answer. 

So He whispers to me this morning, "It's okay. Make your plans. Enter the room. Then look around and be glad no matter what you discover there: the set, the script, the players, the action. Perhaps your plans have worked out. Or perhaps things feel awry. It doesn't determine My faithfulness, Darlene. I love you with an everlasting love. This answer, this right answer, is not only for others; this answer is for you." 

And then there is rest -- oh, but not only rest. There is joy, great joy in knowing this: He knows the right answer.