"Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls." (James 1:21). Yesterday, we talked about the healing power of God's Word. In our verse today, God tells us how that works.
Suffering is a very self-focusing experience. Take for instance, slamming your hand in a car door. While your hand is throbbing, your arthritis probably never crosses your mind once. Right? If you are hurting and suffering, that pain is probably central in your thinking, and if not central it's looming large in your periphery all the time. Perhaps it is not pain and suffering that is consuming you, maybe it is sin that has its grips on you. You just can't seem to shake it. As hard as you try, it's right there demanding your attention.
The very beginning of our verse for today says, "lay aside". Oh, sure that sounds easy. You and I both know from experience, that as often as we attempt to lay aside our suffering, our pain, our sin, it just keeps bouncing back. It's like trying to get rid of statically charged fuzz. Every time you think you have shaken it free, there it is stuck on another part of your hand.
Let's read on. We are told to "receive with meekness the implanted word" "Receive" is a verb. It's an action word. It implies actively doing something. As you spend time reading God's Word, allow yourself to be actively engaged. "Receive with meekness" implies that you recognize that God's truth supercedes your experience. Come to God's Word with a spirit that is ready to be engaged, ready to receive.
The only way you will be able to 'lay aside' is to 'receive with meekness' something to take its place. Lay aside your suffering and your sin, and receive God's healing word.
Your challenge for today is to take one verse or one section of Scripture and to meditate on it, mull it over, consider it, think upon it for 10 minutes or more.
Diane
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