James is my favorite book in the Bible. Its five chapters are filled with so much practical wisdom and advice; I could read it over and over everyday of my life and never exhaust the resources of its insights. Because the book is so rich in knowledge, I could write a separate devotion on nearly each verse. But, for the sake of today’s focus, I want to draw your attention to chapter one, verses 19-25.
My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 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 a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it–he will be blessed in what he does.
Who we truly are is revealed not by our words, but rather by our actions. We can talk a good story all day long, but if our words are not backed up by our actions, we’re just blowing hot air. We’re false, fake, and a fraud. James is admonishing us in these few verses to not merely listen to the Word of God, but to actually apply it to our lives. If all we do is continually ingest more Bible verses during our quiet times and hear more sermons on Sunday and attend more Bible studies throughout the week and never actually let the truth of what we’re reading and hearing translate into a changed pattern of behavior, then we’re wasting time! We’re as absent-minded and incompetent as someone who looks in a mirror and sees themselves and then walks away, forgetting what they saw. Do I have on a blue shirt today or a green one? Did I put my contacts in today or am I wearing my glasses? It’s absurd. Yet, James makes the point that hearing God’s Word and yet not applying it to our lives is just as absurd.
The Bible was written to be the guide book and road map of our lives. We’re supposed to be consciously applying its tenets everyday, not taking a day off “for good behavior,” or justifying any temptation we may have to let this or that slip. How well we apply the Bible to our lives reveals how seriously we take our relationship with God. (How much time we spend in the Word also reveals the same thing!) What does John 8:31John 8:31
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
The Truth Will Set You Free
31 Jesus told the people who had faith in him, “If you keep on obeying what I have said, you truly are my disciples.
WP-Bible plugin and 32 say? Seriously, what does it say? Are we more apt to put a new recipe from Good Housekeeping into practice than we are Proverbs 3:1-6Proverbs 3:1-6
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
Trust God
3
1 My child, remember
my teachings and instructions
and obey them completely.
2 They will help you live
a long and prosperous life.
3 Let love and loyalty
always show like a necklace,
and write them in your mind.
4 . God and people will like you
and consider you a success.
5 With all your heart
you must trust the Lord
and not your own judgment.
6 Always let him lead you,
and he will clear the road
for you to follow.
WP-Bible plugin? (Yeah, now would be a good time to look see what those verses say too).
We’re taking a peek at the topic of evangelism during our services over these next couple of weeks, and in order to be able to share Christ with others, we absolutely, positively have to be getting to know Him better ourselves. It has been said that you can’t lead anyone further than you’ve actually been yourself. How is your knowledge of God and His Word affecting your life? What does the ratio look like between the amount of info you’re taking in about God and the amount you’re actually applying?
I’ll admit, I struggle at times with the age-old addage of “Do As I Say, Not as I Do.” When it comes to consistently applying all the knowledge I have acquired during my 31 year walk with God, about how I am supposed to live , I still fail too often. I’m ashamed of the times when my walk doesn’t match my talk. I’m still striving to make sure that “doing as I say” is the same exact thing as “doing as I’m doing!”
How about you? Where do you need to focus your attention to begin living out the Truth you already know in your head? What has God been speaking to you about that you’ve heard Him saying, yet you just haven’t obeyed?
By the way, it’s gray and I don’t wear contacts or glasses. Let’s not just listen, let’s do!
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