Daily Readings and Thought for December 7th. “PUT AWAY ALL FILTHINESS AND RAMPANT WICKEDNESS AND RECEIVE … “
As we read James Ch. 1 it seemed to us that every verse was pregnant with a message for us in this 21st Century. It is a chapter to be read slowly, like rich quality food, getting its full flavour and appreciating the way the principles for living, which it promotes, are in very great need today. The full context of the words in our heading is “Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” [v.21] It causes us to meditate on our attitude on receiving God’s word! Is it implanted within us?
A most provocative statement is in v.2-4, “Count it all joy … when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete lacking nothing.”
To receive tests and trials with “joy” requires total spiritual vision and Paul is the ultimate example. We complete our growing up physically in our teenage years and when we are 20 God counts us as mature and responsible for our lives (read Numbers 32 v.11).
However, our growing up before God is a lifelong journey through the wilderness of this world to make our “steadfastness” complete. God knows that we need situations which test faith. Only through these will our spiritual growth be complete. We are all different and God selects those he chooses to fit them into different parts of his spiritual temple (Ephes. 2 v.21) so that his temple is “complete, lacking nothing.”
Those who truly grow will have the strength to brush aside all the filthiness and rampant wickedness that surrounds them – and more than that, will have a character that receives the word of God and implants that word into their minds. They will not be a “hearer who forgets” but instead be “a doer who acts” and “will be blessed in his (or her) doing” [v.22-25] and will succeed in their efforts “to keep oneself unstained from the world” [last verse]
