Receive the Word Implanted

James 1:21

Many of my friends love to be outdoors preparing the soil in their garden for the seeds they will plant in the spring as soon as the temperature is just right.  As summer comes, they begin to see the plants producing the fresh fruits and vegetables they will enjoy and share with others.

I’m thinking now of this Scripture in James 1:21 which tells us to “receive the Word implanted.”  God has given us His Word, the Bible, so that we can get to know Him personally and have our lives changed to reflect what He has planted in us.  We will grow to be more like Jesus as we listen to Him and obey what He says.

From personal experience growing up in church, I realize it is possible to know a lot about God without really knowing Him and living in a personal relationship with Him.  I grew up in a family that never missed a week of church attendance.  Even when we were at the lake on vacation we had to drive into town and go to church on Sunday.  What a waste, I thought! I also attended youth group and even Wednesday night prayer meetings because that was expected.  I enjoyed being with my friends, but I don’t remember any emphasis on a personal relationship with God and loving Him with all my heart, which is what He wants for us.

There were lots of rules:  Don’t go to movies or dances, don’t wear skirts above the knees, don’t color our hair, don’t wear two-piece bathing suits…  One good thing we were encouraged to do was memorize lots of Scripture – but it was a game to me.  I was really good at the Bible quiz contests.  It didn’t truly penetrate my heart.

The condition of my heart was clearly revealed when I spent a summer away from home during my high school years living with another family.  Within a week I had colored my hair (the same color as my natural color, so no one else even knew what I had done).  I also purchased a two-piece bathing suit.  (It covered as much of my body as a one-piece, but I knew it was two pieces and I found rebellious delight in that!). If there had been an opportunity to go to dances and movies, I’m sure I would have done that too! I definitely was rebelling from all the church rules!

A speaker came to a Youth for Christ meeting to share his experience of how God changed his life after being in jail for some time.  I remember wishing that I had done something really bad like that so I could tell people how God had changed me.  I always thought of myself as a “good Christian girl” who would never do anything like that!  I didn’t understand that I was as much of a sinner in need of a Savior as that man who had been in jail. 

I’m so thankful for God’s patience with me as He began transforming my heart as an adult.  My husband and I had moved to a different state, and after several years of not attending church, I started going with a friend who had moved in next door.  God used that pastor who taught me how to study the Bible, to understand that God wants a personal relationship with me, not just “following all the man-made church rules.”  It was at that time that I invited Jesus to be my Lord and Savior and committed to follow Him. That began a process of getting to know the God of the Bible that will continue as long as I live here on earth.  The more I get to know Him through His Word, the more I love Him.  There have been times of turning away from God’s ways and choosing my own, but He has graciously forgiven me and drawn me back. 

God has given every believer the gift of the Holy Spirit to live in us and to do that transforming work in our lives. Fortunately, all the Scripture memorization of my youth was not wasted.  The Holy Spirit now brings those words of Scripture back to my mind and brings life and understanding, and the desire to listen and obey God’s Word through a love relationship with Him.  He gives me opportunities to share His Word with others.  I’m profoundly grateful for His love, patience, faithfulness, mercy and grace.

PERSONAL REFLECTION

What is the condition of your heart?  Have you made that personal commitment to receive Him as your Lord and Savior? Do you have a personal relationship with Him through faith in Jesus?

As you read God’s Word, ask Him to plant it into your heart by the Spirit.  The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.  Do you see the evidence of that fruit in your life?

It is possible to be doing the right things for the wrong reasons.  Even church attendance and daily Bible reading can become something that must be “checked off the list of things to do” for the day. You can ask God to penetrate your heart with His Word and His Spirit to transform your life.

Maybe you don’t even have the desire to know God.  You can ask Him to give you that desire and to lead you into a relationship with Him.