Clean Out the Ears: James 1:19-21

I know professional healthcare providers do not like us sticking a stick with cotton in our ears, but oh, does it feel good after a shower. Why do we do it? For some, like me, it is more habit and because it feels good in the ears. We think we are cleaning out the old residue of the day that can build up in our ears. Well, at least that is what we think. Actually, when we use the swab, it can push more wax down into the ear, causing buildup that can affect our hearing.

James tells us to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. He also says to put away the junk in our lives that keeps us from hearing and doing God’s Word. I wonder if that is what we do with spiritual swabs. Instead of getting rid of the stuff that keeps us from hearing and obeying, we push it down more, thinking that just because we have a swab in our ear, we are doing something good.

Our ears can be a lot like our hearts. They can get a lot of buildup that eventually causes problems. We go to church, hear a good sermon, and the feeling is good. But if we do nothing with it, we are pushing more stuff in rather than allowing God to take it out through His Word and our application of it. Sure, we feel good doing our devotions, going to church, singing, and even paying our tithe. But what is really going on when we leave? Did we just use a swab to tickle our ears?

Our ears are designed to clean themselves. Sure, there are times when they need some help, but the design is not to push but to purge. God’s Word, when applied to our lives, is like the purging of the old wax and the residue of the world. The more of the Word that is in us, and the more we do what it says, the more our hearts change from the inside. The old stuff that kept us from hearing God is no longer there. We hear Him, we obey Him, and it is all without the feel-good swab-in-the-ear experience.

Take time today to check the ears of your heart. Are they filled with the residue we push down with the feel-good experiences of church, or are they being cleaned by obedience to what God is telling you to do through His Word? When we do the latter, our ears hear, and our hearts are clean.