Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
(James 1:22)
James writes to the scattered church, and he does not ask them to admire the King’s word. He asks them to do it. Hearing is easy: a sermon can stir us on Sunday and leave us unchanged by Monday. James calls that self-deception, and he is right. The word is a mirror, and a mirror only helps the one who acts on what it shows. The King gives his Church more than teaching: wisdom for the asking, endurance under trial, care for widows and orphans, and a heart kept clean. A church that hears and does is where his reign can be seen.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, make us doers of your word. Show us where we only listen, and give us courage to obey today. Amen.
