James 1: 22-25
Do no 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 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.
The passage starts with listening just like our adventures with the Lord should start with us listening to Him. Adventures are amazing. But if we do not listen, we will not know what He is saying. We will not know where He is guiding us! Listening is the key to success in a relationship, especially with the Lord our God!
The second piece of the puzzle is knowing the Scriptures. This passage points the Scripture three times. Twice with “the word” and once with the “perfect law.” The perfect law and the Word are one in the same and point to the moral and ethical teachings of the New Testament and Old Testament. The Old Testament law is brought to completion through Jesus Christ. When we know the law we know Christ and his expectations. One cannot just read the word to know it. To truly know them, one must act on them and experience them. To understand, is for the Word to be the guide of your life.
My dog and I do a lot of hiking and sometimes we need a map and GPS tracker to know where we are. Now a days, there is an amazing app that does both of those. I fully rely on this app when I am on a trail. It ensures that we are going the correct way. Trails can be very confusing especially when there are animal trails that look like trails. This can make it more difficult to discern which way to go. As you can see in the adventure Freckles and I were on in the photo the trail was very difficult to see. It was a extremely difficult trail to navigate through but we made it thanks to the app and Freckles nose! Like the trail in the photo, trails are not always marked well. However, this app always directs me to the right place. When I am on the trail, this app is my personal guide.
This is comparable to the Word of God in our lives. In this passage, it talks about listening and doing the Word of God in our lives go hand-in-hand. You can’t listen to the Word and not be convicted to act on it. Christ is in our hearts and minds. He should be guiding us to do what the Word of God says. We cannot simply read the word and check the box. Spending time with the Lord requires more than that. We must read the word and apply it to our lives in some manner! Christ will guide our hearts and minds if we allow him to do so! We should desire to listen and act on the Word of God. We do not want to be known as someone who forgets their own reflection in the mirror.
I challenge each of us to take a look at our hearts and souls. Ask yourself how do I need to listen with intent or act in purpose?
Prayer:
Lord, take away the distractions. Help me focus on your Word. Show me the call to action. Help me hear what you are meaning to say and not the interpretation I place on your words. Help me to seek you first in order to implement what you say in my life! To do this, help me to listen with my heart, mind, and ears. Help me to draw closer to you through your Word. In turn, others will see you in my words, actions, and love. AMEN!
Rev. Lauren Parliament 