Why we neglect God's word
When you stop hearing, you start forgetting
Jesus said,
“This is life eternal, that they may know you the only true God and your son Jesus whom you have sent.”
That line for me has become the only thing that makes sense in this world. It is the focus of my waking and sleeping moments. That the life we have received is eternal. The life that has no beginning and no end. And that this life is gotten by a knowledge of God and of Jesus, his son. And this life itself does not just reside in my spirit only. That this life in my spirit can also be manifested in my body and soul.
Romans 8:11,
“The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.”
It is the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead that dwells in us as the life of God. And that spirit can work in our mortal bodies and energize us to live beyond the power of our soul and body. That same spirit can teach our bodies to reject weakness and sickness. That same spirit can help us when we are confused and depressed. That same spirit can encourage us when we are down and oppressed.
But why are we not experiencing the work of the life of God in our souls and bodies?
Yes, we are.
It is a process.
We behold until we are formed.
2 Corinthians 3:18,
“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
But what does “to behold” mean, and how do we behold?
Our transformation is tied to our beholding.
James 1:23: “For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass.”
Anyone who hears God’s word and does not do it is like the one who beholds himself in a glass (mirror) and goes his way...
James 1:24: “For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.”
Why did he forget who he was or what he saw?
You will see why; keep reading.
James 1:25: “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the word, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”
There is something here that makes someone forget what he read.
By the way, to “forget” here does not necessarily refer to “mental forgetfulness” of the mind when you read or hear something.
To “forget” here is quite deeper than mental forgetfulness.
To forget here means to neglect (epilanthanomai) what he heard.
That is, to
not pay attention, disregard, not care for, etc.
So, why does this man “forget” what he heard?
Let’s go back to verse 24.
James 1:24: “For he beholdeth himself, and GOETH HIS WAY, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. (emphasis mine).”
The man WENT AWAY.
“goeth his way” is the Greek word: aperchomai
It means “to go away, depart.”
So, the man HEARD God’s word and went away from hearing God’s word. He departed from hearing God’s word. In other words, he didn’t CONTINUE to hear God’s word. He stopped hearing God’s word.
Is this true?
See verse 25.
James 1:25: “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and CONTINUETH therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. (emphasis mine).”
Did you notice again that to CONTINUE comes before FORGETTING?
Just the same way “goeth his way” came before “forgetting.”
And what does “CONTINUETH” here mean? It’s the exact opposite of GOETH HIS WAY.
The word “CONTINUETH” as used here is the Greek word paramenō, and it means “to remain beside, continue always near.”
Does this look like the opposite of “going his way?”
Yes.
“Goeth his way” means “to go away, depart.”
“Continueth” means to “remain beside, always near.”
In both instances, they both came before the FORGETTING.
So, before someone can NEGLECT God’s word and thus fail to obey it, he must have a track record of not CONTINUING to feed on the word.
If you notice that you don’t have regard for God’s word, the truth is you have left feeding on it. That’s what it means to FORGET God’s word.
Disregard, or not caring or being disobedient to God’s word, comes from a consistent track record of not feeding on the word.
When you stop hearing, you start forgetting.
Even psychology tells you that “out of sight is out of mind.”
So, to keep something in your mind all the time, it should NEVER LEAVE YOUR SIGHT.
But why did we have to come here?
We were looking at “BEHOLDING”, and how your beholding can lead to your transformation and how your transformation can have physical and emotional effects on your body and soul, respectively.
James 1:23: “For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man BEHOLDING his natural face in a glass.”
So, to BEHOLD means to receive or hear God’s word. You must CONTINUE BEHOLDING till transformation is birthed. In other words, you must keep immersing yourself and feeding on God’s word UNTIL you’re changed into that same image from one level of glory to the other.
So why are we not experiencing the work of the life of God in our souls and bodies?
Oh yes, we are experiencing it!
We just have to keep at it till we are fully transformed. You’re changing whether you know it or not.
“You are today what you did yesterday. You’ll be tomorrow what you do today.”
Those were the words the Lord dropped on my heart when I was asking these same questions of transformation.
He said:
“You are today what you did yesterday, and you will be tomorrow what you do today.”
So, I was encouraged that the issue of transformation is based on my today’s decisions. What this means is that our transformation and growth are PREDICTABLE. You must CONTINUE beholding, feeding on the word, praying, meditating, studying, etc., until you’re fully formed.
Let no one discourage you. Let no one tell you you’re wasting your time. Remember that you only forget (neglect) God’s word when you stop feeding on it. For as long as you’re feeding on the word, you have NOT neglected or forgotten his word, even if you cannot recall the Bible verses mentally when you need to!
Stay encouraged, friends. Keep beholding. Keep obeying. You’re changing, whether you’re seeing it or not. The blind eyes that don’t open today will open tomorrow.
Refuse to be discouraged.