Do the Word

‘Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.’ James 1:22 NIV

A pastor writes: ‘The Latin word for ‘listen’ is where we get our word audit. When you audit a class, you take in lots of information, but you don’t do anything with it. You don’t do the homework, or if you do, you don’t turn it in to get it graded. You don’t take the tests. And you don’t get any credit, either. The same is true in our spiritual lives. You don’t get credit for auditing Scripture. You’ve got to put it into practice. Every word of Scripture must be translated via obedience.

In the Western world, we make a distinction between knowing and doing. But there was no such distinction in ancient Jewish thought. Knowing was doing, and doing was knowing. If you didn’t do it, you didn’t really know it. Knowledge isn’t enough. Truth must be translated with your life.’ James writes: ‘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 NIV). God doesn’t bless you because of what you know but because of what you do with what you know. So, each time you come across a verse that tells you to do something, put it into practice that day.