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 someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
James 1:22-25
One of my very favorite verses in all of the Scriptures is verse 22, and I can’t help but notice that it’s almost never quoted outside of a study of James; not even by me! I really love this verse because it just brushes past all the arguments and excuses and comes right down to the bottom line: Do what it says!
We aren’t just to read the Word, we’re supposed to follow the Word, just like we aren’t just supposed to be in Christ, we are supposed to follow Him. So simple, yet so seldom done. If we just read it, we deceive ourselves because we get the idea that everything is great, after all, I read my Bible today. Then what do we do, go out and do what everybody else does? In the immortal words of Chef Gordon Ramsey, “That’s not good enough!”
James follows with an interesting illustration, that of someone looking into a mirror, seeing their face and then forgetting what they looked like. Hearing the Word and not following it is pretty much a waste, for we are to put it into effect in our lives. Even better, James tells us exactly what he means.
We are to gaze at the “perfect law that gives freedom” intently, and then act accordingly. To fully comprehend James’ instruction, all we need to do is to know what he means by “perfect law that gives freedom.” I think Jesus can help us out here:
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:37-30
James is talking about putting our love of God and of one another into action; if we do , we will be blessed in everything that we do. What a simply amazing little passage, so simple, so clear.
What holds us back?
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If all we do is look in a mirror, see what is wrong and walk away what have we gained? All we have gained is knowledge. “Well, I know my hair is a mess..great!” That’s absurd, really. We would never do that.
Why then, would we do that in response to God’s word? That is the lesson James is teaching us here. Just like looking in a real mirror, looking the the mirror of God’s Word should cause us to change. We should walk away from it prepared to do something, not just see that something is wrong.
Well said Wally, thank you!
I gotta fess up, though, Don. I am plagiarizing my own devotionals on James LOL
I think that is permissible 🙂
I enjoyed reading this message. It made me think about when a couple first meets. They listen to each other and do things to show their love to let the other know that they love them. They do not just say I love you and walk away and ignore the other. Now how much more should we do to show our love for the One who gave us His life to save us. It is one thing to read your Bible, but if it is just a book you read and then just put down and forget about it the second you close the cover it does nothing. Read it, then live it. It is better than chocolate and cheese cake. It feeds you in ways no earthly food can satisfy. Thanks for sharing this message.
Great example; thank you!
Jesus died for us so that He can live in us and if we humble ourselves, He’ll live for us too. Sometimes, we just need to stop hoarding Him for ourselves and allow Him to live through us. Isn’t that the whole point of the Living Way?:0)
I’d have to say so 🙂
May I republish?
By all means; thank you!
Tis so simple how the truth resonates. Do what it says. That’s gonna stick for a while
I think the major problem is that too many people go by the slogan, “salvation is by faith alone”. When I go on a particular hike I pass by this one billboard, it has been there for over a decade, and states, “To be saved you only need proclaim that Jesus is Lord”. Faith is just the beginning of salvation, if faith has truly taken hold then the works cannot help but flow from them.
Yes, it would be the appropriate response to salvation
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