“But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says.” – James 1:22
As a teacher to kids, I have the amazing opportunity to speak words
into the ears of earnest listeners who are just itching to learn about
something they’ve never heard before. I
love seeing the light bulb go off in their heads when something that I’ve said
“clicks.” It’s always my hope, however,
that listening isn’t where it stops…it’s always my hope that the kids take what
they’ve heard and mirror it in their own lives.
Thankfully, I’ve had the blessing of seeing kids apply what they hear
to their lives. I think about the times
kids have come to me and shared that they want to make missions their career,
or the times kids have shared with me how they showed Jesus’ love, and even the
times I’ve gotten to go on mission trips with kids and watch them serve. To see them live out the words that they’ve
heard or read from the Bible and reflect that in their own lives fills me with
so much joy and thankfulness, but it makes me equally aware that I do that
personally in my own life as well.
The book of James has quite a bit to say about how we as Christians
should live out our faith…and one of those ways is by putting action to what we
learn from the Scripture. Read this
powerful passage from James 1:22-25:
But 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.
Those first three sentences are very influential and important. We can’t just listen to what we hear or read
from the Scriptures. We…and notice the
word James uses…must do what it says.
Now in some cases, for a Christian, doing what the Scripture says is kind of a no-brainer…look at these examples (and note that there are many others that could fit in this category):
- Worshipping
God (1 Chronicles 16:23-31)
o Attending church, singing worship music in car
- Telling
others about Jesus (Matthew 28:19)
o Going on a mission trip, teaching people about
the Bible
- Reading
the Bible (Joshua 1:8)
o Memorizing scripture, committing ourselves to
daily quiet time
- Praying
with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:16)
o Thanking God for his blessings, praying for
others
In other cases, for a Christian, doing what the Scripture
says is a lot harder than it sounds (and note that there are many others that
could fit in this category too):
- Speaking
truth in love (Ephesians 4:15)
o Do we share our frustrations with others lovingly
or with no regard to their feelings?
- Carrying
another person’s burdens (Galatians 6:2)
o Are we willing to walk with our hurting brothers
and sisters in their deepest sadness and hurt?
- Being
concerned about others and encouraging them (Hebrews 10:24-25)
o Do we truly have concern for what others are
going through in their day to day lives?
Enough to reach out to them and offer them an encouraging word?
- Losing
our life for Christ (Mark 8:35)
o Would we be willing to lose our life for
believing in Jesus, as is the case today for so many martyrs around the world?
Quite a lot to consider, isn’t it? You see, the words of the Bible aren’t just
suggestions for us as Christians to follow, they are the commands of God that
He expects we follow. Some things
require simply our obedience, other requests require sacrifice…the giving of
ourselves.
James uses a very powerful visual in the passage
above…did you see what it was? A
mirror! What a great illustration for us
to have to visualize how the Word of God is to be an essential part of our
lives. If we glanced in a mirror and
then forgot what we looked like, what was the purpose of going to the mirror in
the first place? A mirror is a reflection
of who we are. That is what the Bible is
to us as Christians! The Bible tells us who we
as Christians ARE to be! It’s
our guidebook for how to live, it’s our answer key to the tests of life, it’s
our mirror into the image of Christ!
Like James says, we must do what it says!
I realize and understand that doing everything that the Bible says is a tall
order to fill. It’s hard to do some of
the things the Bible asks us to do.
However, in order to heed the words of the Bible we have to be willing
to step outside of our own boxes, egos, and comfort zones to put action to what
the Word of God says to do. James says
in verse 22 that if we don’t, we’re simply fooling ourselves. I don’t want to be a foolish Christian…I want
to be a following Christian…one that follows the truths and words of the Bible,
no matter how hard they might be.
Look at yourself in the mirror, whether literally
or figuratively, and ask yourself this question, “Am listening AND putting into action the
Word of God?" If your answer is yes, then good
job, you are totally on the right track and if you have any advice for the rest
of us in how to live a life of complete surrender to the Word, please share it with us! If your answer is no, then stop and
contemplate where you are falling short.
Is it in obedience? Is it in
sacrifice? Is it in something else? Pray about it and ask God to reveal to you
how to follow Him in what He asks you to do through His Word. Finally, DO IT…mirror His Word!
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| Mirror the Word of God! |
