Creator, Father, King #332

Don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.

ADMIT IT . . .

When you wake up, you’ve got plenty of work to do on yourself from the neck up. Hey, it happens to the best of us. Sleep takes a heavy toll.

First, you’ve got to rub Mr. Sandman out of your sagging eyes. A tissue or two might help your nose. Even if your mouth looks okay, it tastes like death. Then, you’ve got to deal with the facial creases from your pillow that make it seem as though you barely survived a back alley knife fight. And oh, the bed head!

Looking in the mirror after waking up can be a real comedy show. You would never walk away from it without improving yourself, right?

This is exactly the point of James 1:22-25.

What’s It Mean?

As a New Testament author, the apostle James wrote in a beautifully straightforward manner, providing practical insight to live out one’s faith on a daily basis. Take James 1:22-25 for example:

Don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

God’s Word acts like a mirror for our hearts. It shows who we truly are—our spiritual strengths and weaknesses. It also reveals who God is, what we truly believe about him, and where we need to grow in our theology.

Just like you don’t walk away from your bathroom mirror unchanged in the morning (at least hopefully not!), don’t walk away from the mirror of God’s Word unchanged. Consider these questions:

• Do you go to Sunday worship services just to mark off a spiritual checklist or to worship God?
• Do you attend weekday Bible study gatherings because it’s “what you’re supposed to do,” or because you want to grow in your faith?
• Do you prayerfully enter your devotional times with God seeking to hear from him, or are you simply going through the motions?
• Don’t merely be a hearer of God’s Word—be a doer!

Now What?

Whenever you read God’s Word, pray for God’s Spirit to speak to your heart.

Did You Know?

James was the earthly brother of Jesus. He also led the early church in Jerusalem before being martyred in AD 62.