"But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not becoming a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does."- James 1:22-25 (NASB)
James is writing to followers of Christ encouraging them of the importance of living out their faith. He reminds the reader of the importance of hearing the word of God, but does so by also reminding them of the power of the word to transform their hearing into action.
Many of us who are Christ followers today would do well to review the truth in this passage as we strive to live out our faith daily. Oftentimes we find ourselves in situation where we are tested to truly stand on the Word of to go with the flow. James reminds in this passage that if we want to experience the blessing of God that it comes through our being those who are doers of the word.
Let's be honest for a moment. Many of us love the words of Scripture. We will sit in small groups and discuss for hours the word of God. We will spend time reading and studying the word. We will read commentaries from others that will help us to understand better what God is saying through His word. But if we are not intentional in doing so, we fail to apply the truth of the word in our daily lives.
When we realize all that God has done for us, we should deeply desire to obey His word. That means we should let His word be the plumb line of Truth that we build our lives upon. When we find ourselves taking a stand on God's word that may not be politically correct, or the popular thing in our circle of friends, we must be willing to stand firm on His word.
For me, I have learned that to be a Hearer and Doer of God's Word is best lived out by simply trusting God and obeying His Word! The hymn writer said it best: “Trust and obey for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”
My prayer is that I would become a more faithful doer by trusting and obeying the word of God every day He give me breath with which to live.
In Christ,
Bro. Tim
