Are You Playing By Ear Or The Book?

ARE YOU PLAYING BY EAR OR BY THE BOOK

James 1:22-25

22 But be ye doers of the word , and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

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:

24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

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.

By ear;

Dave Roever plays piano by ear (literally)

What would you think, if the pilot of the plane that you were flying in, came over the intercom and said I am going to land this plane today a little different than what the instruction manual says. I¡¦ve picked out a runway that I think would better suit us and don¡¦t worry we will be on the ground shortly?

I¡¦m sure you would tell him that he¡¦s going to land that plane by the book.

Or,

You are scheduled for brain surgery and your doctor stands at your bedside and tells you that he is going to do this surgery a little different than how it¡¦s normally done, but not to worry, I¡¦m sure everything will come out alright.

I¡¦m sure you would tell him that he is going to go by the book or he¡¦s not going to perform the surgery.

How many of you have heard of the Van Clyburn piano competition? All the contestants can play their pieces beautifully, but that is not what the judges are listening for. Every note must be in it’s proper place or its wrong.

Now I am a C,F&G piano and guitar player, but if you listen to real piano players, such as Sis Hill, you will hear all of the cord changes that is supposed to be in the music because that is how it is written in the book.

In my opinion, playing it by ear is enough to get me by, but I am wrong according to the music experts.

What if we were to have that attitude about serving God?

Matt 23:23

23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees (religious people), hypocrites! (play actors) for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone

(You think that you are doing just enough to keep God¡¦s approval, only to be very disappointed when you stand before Him on judgment day)

They just didn¡¦t do it by the book.

You remember that when you first were saved, and for a time after that, how everything that you did was Bible based. But sadly, what happens too often is, that as you grow more familiar with the Christian experience, it doesn¡¦t take quite as much prayer or Bible study to keep you on the straight and narrow. The problem is, is that the straight and narrows¡¦ not so straight and narrow any more.

The world¡¦s secularism and your emotions begin to form your opinions and you loose touch with the real truth (which is, ¡¨thus saith the Lord¡¨) and you wind up play religion by ear.

Are you playing by the ear, or by the Book?

Are you really into a relationship with God?

Because if you are, then that tells me that you faithfully communicate with Him in prayer and Word study and your life is an open book to everyone around you.

I know several people who may have had this kind of relationship with Christ at one time, but now they are just living for Him by ear and not by the Book.

I am Sis Nabor¡¦s ginnepig. She finds new recipes and I get to one of the first to try them out. (Lucky me)

But imagine her just looking at the picture of what ever she¡¦s going to bake and then rattling the pots and pans. That would be ridiculous. It would never produce the results that the book would called for.

Sunday school and preaching gives us a great picture of what God wants to do in our lives, but just rattling the pots and pans and never getting into the Book and discovering God¡¦s perfect will for our lives will never do it.

¡§these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone¡¨

Acts 19:13-16

13 Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.