Doers, Not Just Hearers
OPENING PRAYER:
Father, help me focus my heart on you and what I do not know today.
READ:
“Do not 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 immediately 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.” James 1:22-25
REFLECT:
It is a great thing to reflect on and memorize scripture, but James reminds us here that the act of “knowing” scriptures is not enough. To truly “know” God’s Word is to look intently into it, accept the freedom and calling that it gives us, and continue to live it out, to take a step of obedience.
God’s Word is meant to transform us. It should change the way that we live, not just be a rote memorization or a pretty decoration we have in our home. As we “look intently” at what God has to say to and about us, our hearts will more closely align with his, and we will be moved to act accordingly.
APPLY:
Think about how your life has changed because of your time in God’s Word. If you can’t see how scripture or knowing God has affected your daily life, make a point to spend time in prayer and study and look for the small shifts that take place as you focus your mind and heart and listen to God’s calling. What would God have you do to obey what you’ve read and studied?
CLOSING PRAYER:
God, I am sorry for the times that I have simply sought to memorize words or references rather than the meaning and calling behind them. Show me your ways and make your call to action clear to me. Give me a humble heart to know that there is more to you than I have scratched the surface of and that every ounce of effort from me is well worth it.