LEARNING DAILY

James1:22-25, 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 about what genuine, trusting, and saving faith looks like. He has written that the Believer’s conversation must be consistent with biblical standards and Christian beliefs. James 1:9 tells the Believer to be “quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.” Now he writes that Believers are to not only know God’s Word, they are to act on what they know. I remember trying to teach different skills to others like riding a bicycle or proper form for shooting a jump shot. The best way I found to learn various skills was to try repeatedly until it became routine. Reading the manual or sitting and watching was not enough. I remember my wife trying to teach the piano – it took repetition of those notes to play the piano.

To be a doer of the Word, one must do what it tells the reader to do. It is figuring out what God wants you to do and then doing it. It is a matter of demonstrating that one truly trusts what God says in His Word. James compares looking into a mirror with reading the Word of God; just looking is not good enough. What is seen must be retained, and what is retained must be acted upon. James writes about a person who looks at himself/herself in the mirror but then walks away and forgets what he/she saw. James compares this to one who casually listens to or reads God’s Word. This is more about listening or reading without any real faith.

Read the last verse above. James is contrasting the one who looks in the mirror and then forgets what sort of person was in the mirror with the person who looks into the mirror – really looks into it and acts upon what he/she sees.  The Bible is like a mirror; when you look into it, you see yourself as God sees you, not who you say you are or what others might think you are. Read Psalm 51 or Psalm 139. Take a good look at what God’s Word says. Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” The active Believer is one who hears (reads) with genuine faith, wanting to learn from God’s Word and do what it says. John 8:31-32, “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." James is writing about the person who opens the Word of God – every day – and looks at it, reads it intently! The result is the person stays on the narrow way with the Lord and is blessed in what he/she does. Obedience to the Word of God brings freedom from sin and death (Romans 5:19, 6:11-23).

I found this illustration and thought it be good to conclude with. We like to eat out and have our favorite places to eat. I am laughed at for getting the same thing at each particular restaurant. Usually, I look at the menu as if I might try something different. I have found that looking at the menu does not have any particular nourishment to it nor do I get any real satisfaction from it. But when the order comes…. Can I tell you that the Christian who just stares at the Word of God is not finding the satisfaction that God desires them to have. It is only when the Word is eaten that nourishment and satisfaction come. Jeremiah 15:16, “Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts.”