Do What The Word Says

Howdy! How are you this week?

I do hope you did amazing things with God. Through this opportunity, I would like to say 'Happy Ascension Day of Jesus Christ'. I am not going to discuss this topic further, but you can recall to Acts 2 about Ascension Day and The Fellowship of The Believers. This great opportunity, I would like to share with you how to be doers of God's words than to be only hearers. Check this out! 

For some people, reading the Bible is an unpleasant chore because their perception of the Bible's message is "Do this; do that; do this other. And do more of this and more of that and more of the other." The effect is only a building of stress and guilt. On the other hand, some people find Scripture to be indeed the perfect law that gives freedom.

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 

25 But whoever (1) looks intently into the perfect law (Scriptures) that gives freedom, and (2) continues in it—(3) not forgetting what they have heard, but (4) doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. 

(James 1:22-25--NIV)

The better alternative of being "doers" (RSV) is introduced in 1:22 (22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.) and then described further in 1:25 (25 But he who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer that forgets but a doer that acts, he shall be blessed in his doing.). 

The initial imperative in 1:22, Do not merely listen to the word. . . . Do what it says, probably again recalls parts of Jesus' own sermons, such as

Matthew 7:21-27 (21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.)

and

Luke 6:46-49 (47 As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like.48 They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.)

The chief fact which James emphasizes about doers of the word is that they will be blessed.

These are the steps to take first with Scripture, so that Scripture can then reorder the rest of one's life.

1. Looks intently. We will search the Scriptures. We can go beyond a superficial devotional reading. We will bother to learn sound principles of inductive study so that we can dig deeply into the word and feed ourselves from Scripture.
2. Continues. We will stay in Scripture. We can learn to be regular and habitual, rather than occasional, in our Bible study.
3. Not forgetting. We will learn Scripture. We can study it so as to know its content and to remember it in our daily lives. Memorizing Scripture passages is an excellent discipline for the practice of this third step.
4. But doing. We will apply Scripture. We can afford to leave our mirrors behind because our reflections are useless. But Scripture is another matter. We need it in our daily lives. We will take Scripture into our thinking, submit our minds to it and formulate our beliefs by what it says. 

We will make decisions by Scripture--about how we will respond to trials, what goals we will pursue, how we will spend time and money, how we will use our tongues. We will dare to live by the word of God.

Source: Commentaries on James 1:22-25

Have a great day!

Jah Bless!

Cheers,

Brian Bernadi