Head, Heart, Hands

HEAD, HEART, HANDS


Have you ever met a know it all?  You know, the person that tends to know everything about everything.  They might even know about your life more than you do as well.  The problem I tend to see in the life of a know it all is that they often fail to live out some, if not all, of the knowledge they have.  They know what foods not to eat but they eat them anyway.  They know every call to make at a sporting event but they don't coach or officiate.  Know it all types tend to posses lots of knowledge but it never seems to move from their head to their hearts and from their hearts to their hands.  This is often true in the realm of Christians, more than many would ever admit.

James writes that faith apart from works is foolish (Jas 2:20).  He is not saying works save you but if you indeed claim to have faith in Christ your works should express that faith.  Often as Christians we have lots of knowledge that we have garnered in Sunday school, worship, small groups, discipleship, and even bible college or seminary.  The problem is we become great at our orthodoxy, that which we have knowledge of, but never become practitioners because that knowledge never moves to our hearts to transform us and on to our hands to practice what we believe.  For instance, Christians sit through numerous sermons on forgiveness, they have heard the truth yet their hearts are not transformed and in return they fail to forgive time and time again.  This could be true for discipleship, evangelism, service, use of spiritual gifts, etc...

The truth is that transformed Christians see transformation in Christ continue on throughout their lives.  Christians should indeed gain knowledge but push away from being know it all types.  Instead we must allow that Word to permeate us, to continue to transform our hearts, and in return show our faith through our works (Jas 2:18).  We must, by the power of the Holy Spirit, see knowledge move from head, to heart, to hands.  Don't get me wrong, transformative learning gives us great knowledge but it also changes our hearts and in turn changes how we live, we have great orthodoxy as well as great orthopathy and orthopraxy as well.  My prayer is that we never stop learning from the Word, that our hearts never stop changing and growing nearer to Christ (Rom 12:1-2), and that we live out what we believe.  Let us not be know it all's but instead let the fruit of our lives be made known through how we live. 

Today LORD may my heart be changed by you from glory to glory.  May your Word continue to transform my mind, my heart, and my hands.  Forgive me when I have made my walk with you about how much I know.  Forgive me when I fail to live out my faith but instead attack others with knowledge instead of showing great grace, mercy, and forgiveness that I have received when I did not deserve it.  May you be glorified through the way that I live for you and may I never seek that glory for myself.  Father, may I truly live out what I believe and not just have knowledge but truly live those truths out in the world around me.  Thank you for your SON, the cross where Christ bore my sin, for a risen Savior that lives today, for the forgiveness that you have given me through Jesus by faith alone in Christ alone.  Use me for your glory today and may the Holy Spirit permeate my life as I live for you in Christ.  In the great name of Christ I pray AMEN!

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