7 Years in Review

Seven years ago I began blogging, and while my pace has slackened because my time and responsibilities have shifted, I'm grateful to God for every chance I get to delve into His word and learn from it. It's difficult to believe that seven years ago my wife was seven weeks away from having our twin girls and we had only been married for less than two years! Now we have a summer of festivities as it were: Gabriel's birthday in early July, our anniversary (9 years) late July, our girls' birthday mid-August, and finally Gillian's birthday late August. That's a fairly full docket.

James Chapter One, Part 7

1:23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; (24) for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. (25) But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

Go back just a little to verse 19 where we read James' admonition to be swift hearers, slow speakers and to be slow to anger. Too many words chosen from emotion rather than reason hinders spiritual progress, while being a thoughtful hearer can aid our understanding. While human emotion and anger will not lead to godliness, James informs us that the implanted word (scripture received in a readied heart) can produce such righteousness and once more cautions us to jettison the things that would hinder our ability to walk beside the Lord, learning from Him, verses 21, 22.