Blueprint for
Blessing I
By Estelle Nazary
Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and
all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted,
which is able to save your souls. James 1:21 (NASB)
Once someone knows Christ, he is a new creation and
this change is to show in his life. All his evil must be put aside. God is not
pleased with partial obedience. You must
get rid of everything that would stop your ears to the true word of God. Man's own sins can make him deaf to God. Let’s look closely at James 1:21.
"Therefore,
putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness..." There
is something we need to remove. This includes moral failure, malice, meanness,
abundance of evil... It speaks of sin's
defilement which is a cancerous, defiling growth on the soul. We become unwilling to listen. We have a spirit of criticism. We have unrighteous, unjustified anger.
But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from
your mouth.
Colossians 3:8
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us,
let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the
race that
is set before us, Hebrews 12:1
Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, 1 Peter 2:1
To put aside these things, we must acknowledge sin's
depth and sin's damage. The sin must be
recognized, regretted and removed by confessing them in God's presence and
conquering them in God’s power.
He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
But he who confesses and forsakes them
will find compassion.
Proverbs 28:13
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
"in
humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls." There is something we need to receive. Something good must take its place. We must
open our hearts to allow God's word to enter and accomplish His wonderful work
of redemption.
The What, How, Where, and Why…
What? "Receive
the word"
How? "Receive
with humility" - Submissive to God and have a teachable spirit. A
teachable spirit is without resentment, without anger and is able to face the
truth even when the truth hurts and condemns.
Where? "The
implanted word" - Like the implanting of human organs - implanting
God's word saves life in a spiritual sense.
Why? "Which
is able to save your souls"
There
is the initial possession - For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves,
it is the gift of God; Ephesians 2:8
There is the gradual progress - For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.1 Corinthians 1:18
There is the final prospect - Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. Romans 5:9
“like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,” 1 Peter 2:2
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