What Do You Welcome?
This is Part 2 of a five-part series of spiritual renewal posts based on the book of James.
Reading: James 1:21–25; John 8:31–47
I received several packets of seeds in the mail this past week and immediately began dreaming of the colours, scents, and produce that these dormant flower and vegetable seeds would produce. I imagined the fresh summer meals we would enjoy on our deck, enhanced by a pretty bouquet of flowers grown from these small seeds that I held in my hands. They brought a welcome moment of summer anticipation to a dreary late winter day.
What are the things that you are welcoming into your life, and what kind of fruit will they bear? The things that we hold in our lives shape and influence our thoughts, our actions, and our speech. They are like little seeds that are planted in the soil of our lives, taking root, and then bearing fruit that may be good and helpful, or may not be. Whatever we behold, we will become. Jesus mentioned this principle to a crowd of people who had believed him in John 8:31–32: “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (NIV). This verse is often misquoted as: “The truth will set you free.” However, Jesus is clear that it is by holding to his teaching, by welcoming the Word and having it planted deep inside us, that we become his disciples and can receive the free gift of salvation through him. This is a work of the Holy Spirit in our lives as we partner with him by responding to Christ's teaching and guidance.
The crowd Jesus was speaking to was offended by his teaching, and their belief in him turned to anger as he challenged what was shaping their actions and ultimately, their identity. We too can be offended by this principle, dismissing or hardening our hearts to the Word, and to Jesus, himself. We want to hold all the things we love, even the things that are incompatible with the teaching and ways of Jesus. These are the things that he asks us to humbly give to him because whatever we behold we become. And this is not who he has created and called us to be.
To evaluate what it is that you have welcomed into your life, take a few minutes to do a quick inventory of your thoughts, actions, and speech:
How do you spend time alone? What are the key messages in the books, movies, and shows that you read and watch? How much time do you spend on social media?
How do you spend time with others? What are the themes of your conversations?
What does your internal thought life sound like? What types of emotions do you regularly experience throughout your day?
As you process through these questions, you will probably be able to identify some really great fruits, and perhaps some that are not as healthy. You may have even felt conviction by the Holy Spirit in one of these areas. Choose not to harden your heart to his voice. Instead, open up your hands and offer to him whatever it is that you are holding. Then, allow him to fill your hands with the seeds that he would have you plant, and “welcome [his] word planted deep inside you—the very word that is able to save you” (James 1:21b CEB).
