January 28, 2022 RECEIVE THE WORD
James 1:21-22, 25 “Therefore putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted , which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.” “But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does.”
The book of James emphasizes the importance of doing what the word says; he is not saying that we are saved by the works, but because we now belong to God and have been made new, we are to be quick to obey the word of God. The fact that we are in the process of being transformed implies that there is more growth and change to come in our spiritual journey. (It needs to be clear that we are not being refurbished or made better; we have been made new creations and given a new spirit, a new heart, and a new mind; the transformation process that we are in is about maturing in the faith and learning how to walk and live out of the new person we are.) In this section of scripture, James is encouraging us to put aside anything that remains of wickedness; at times we will be tempted to respond in a wrong way or to do something that is not pleasing to the Lord and that is unbecoming of a follower of Christ-and that is what we are to ‘put aside.’ Instead of living out of what we want and what we think is best, we are to in humility receive the word of God; we are to bow our knee to the Lord and receive His word as the authority and the source of life. The crux of the issue what is ruling my life-it is either my preferences and desires, or it is the word of God. The truth is that the worst thing we can do is to live by our own dictates and understanding; the best and wise thing we can do is to be under the authority of God’s word. Of course, we are not to see the word of God as rules we must keep or to be legalistic in our approach to the word of God; rather, we are to see that the word of God is the source of life and peace. James gives us a stern warning; it is possible for us to say we believe the word, and we may read the word and yet not be a doer of the word, and become a forgetful hearer. I have found that it is easy to read from God’s word, then go my way without being impacted by what I read; our reading the word can become no more than a ritual. We are to ‘look intently’ at God’s word-more than a casual reading-and then abide by it and be an ‘effectual doer’ of the word; God promises that when we do, we will be blessed in what we do. Honoring God’s word and living by it always results in blessings. So, let us ‘prove ourselves to be doers of the word;’ we prove it by doing it!
James 2:17-18 “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, “You have faith, and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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