Window shopping

 Yesterday I saw a Facebook meme on window shopping which brought back some fond memories of the first year Faye and I were married. We rented an apartment in downtown Madison for $50 a month. As you might imagine, we didn't have much money. Some of our favorite memories of that winter was walking up on Main Street and window shopping while the snow was falling after the stores closed. Window shopping was about all the shopping we could afford to do, but we had so much fun. Like I say sometimes, we were young and dumb, but we had so much fun.

As Christians we don't want to make the mistake of window shopping God's Word. James 1: 22-25 tells us, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in the mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it - not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it - they will be blessed in what they do."

As a young married couple we could look into the store windows and go on to the next store forgetting what we saw in the first one. As mature Christians we cannot do that when looking into God's Word. When we look at His Word we need to let it pierce our hearts and spirits and then do what it teaches us to do. Doing this leads us to true freedom and joy. Ignoring it leads to sorrow.

Some might say that there is much in the Scriptures that is hard to understand. I agree. Many people credit Mark Twain as saying, "Some people are troubled by the things in the Bible they can't understand. The things that trouble me are the things that I can understand." Whether or not he actually said this isn't important; the statement is valid. Using the difficult passages as justification for refusing to follow the ones we can understand isn't wise. I have often found that when I am obedient to the Scriptures I understand often open me up to understanding more of God's Word.

In these chaotic times in which we live it's important to have something that we can stand on that will support us. The Scriptures can do that. They teach us the way we can live our lives that will stand no matter what is going on around us. Obedience to God's Word and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ will help you stand firm regardless of the storms that rage around you.