You’ve heard it before. You’ve maybe even said it to others. But have YOU taken theses words to heart?
James says, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves”. Becoming a doer, contains more than just the meaning of doing. Becoming a doer includes mean becoming being a poet, an artist, a maker, a carrier, a performer of the Word-a righteous act. Also note that it’s a verb and it requires action, not just mental ascent to the idea of becoming a doer. We all know Nike’s famous slogan, “Just do it!”.
But, it’s not just about doing stuff. It’s about how we do it, why we do it. It’s about doing the right thing in the right way for the right purpose.
- Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
- Colossians 3:23-24 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
- You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. Deuteronomy 6:5, Mark 12:30, Luke 10:27 & Matthew 22:37
- Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
- Galatians 6:9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
- I Thessalonians 5:15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.
- James 1:19-25 – Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
James continues to describe what the life of genuine, trusting, saving faith looks like. How do people who truly trust God the Father live from day to day? James makes it clear that those who trust God don’t merely become experts at listening to God’s Word. To believe is to act on what we hear.
As the previous verse stated, we are definitely called to accept the Word. We should accept it in our minds, and agree to it in our hearts. Those who believe, stop talking long enough to listen (James 1:19). They take the time to hear and understand. But the faithful don’t stop there. Faith in Christ is not just the map; it’s the actual journey. Merely nodding our heads at the Word is not enough—we need to do what the Word tells us to do. We need to figure out which way God wants us to go, and then actually go that way.
If we don’t, we demonstrate that we don’t truly trust the Father, at least not in that moment.
Meandering Moose 