Hearing is Doing

 

James 1:22-25 ⁽²²⁾Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ⁽²³⁾Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror ⁽²⁴⁾and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ⁽²⁵⁾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. (NIV)

            Seth, a well-known local pastor in the Midwest, stood up in the pulpit during service one week, looked at his congregation and made the following announcement. “I want all the adulterers, homosexuals, fornicators, thieves, liars, prostitutes, murderers, prideful, envious, jealous, sorcerers, and hypocrites to stand up.” The congregation looked at each other in disbelief. They could not believe what the pastor just requested. The silence was so still that you could hear a pin drop. After the shock wore off, one man in the back stood up. He lowered his head as if he was in shame, while the tears ran down his face. The pastor looked around to see if there was anyone else who would stand, but no one else did. Pastor Seth stepped down from the pulpit, walked to the back of the church as the congregation all turned around to see what was going to happen next. 

            The pastor then went to the man who stood up, but the man didn’t even lift his head. Then Pastor Seth finally broke the silence and said, “This is the only honest man in this congregation, but I too fall into the very sins that I named. I am an adulterer because I have cheated on God. I am a homosexual because I liked the company of my buddies too much to tell them the truth about God.”

“I am a fornicator because I have not kept the covenant of engagement with God, but cheated on Him with other idols. I am a thief because I stole the time that belonged to God and used it for my own selfish gain. I am a liar because I have put on a pretense to others, while knowing that I have not been what God has called me to be. I am a prostitute because I have sold my soul to the devil by compromising the Word of God for the sake of popularity. I am a murderer because I have killed many souls by being the wrong type of witness for them to see.”

The pastor teared up as he continued to say, “I have been prideful because of my title and have used it to overlook the times when I have been wrong. I have been envious of others who may have surpassed me in ministry, which has led me to jealousy, while trying to hide it with a smile. I am a sorcerer because I have taught others to use God like a genie to conjure up wealth instead of truly seeking Him for Salvation. Yes, I am a hypocrite because I have taught others about God, while failing to live the life that I teach and preach.” The congregation sat in amazement as they watched the pastor break down in tears, but the man, who stood, looked up with loving eyes and said, “I am Jesus and I cried because I died to set you all free, but you’re the only one who was honest with me.”

             The Apostle James lets us know that we are to not only hear the word, but we are to do what the Word of God tells us to do. It does no good to go to weekly services and read the Bible if we fail to put to practice what it says, We cannot straddle the fence and think that we are going to get to Heaven that way. As a matter of fact, it sickens God when we live double lives. Revelation 3:15-16 ⁽¹⁵⁾I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! ⁽¹⁶⁾So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. (NIV) God wants His children to be fully committed to Him and to obey the laws that He has outlined for our lives.

            Once we come to the full knowledge of God, He expects us to use that knowledge to live for Him. Having knowledge alone is no good if we do not have the wisdom to do what it says. If we know to do right and fail to do it, we are actually serving the devil because no one can have two masters. 1 Corinthians 2:21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons. (NIV) Our blessing come from following the Lord. He has promised a reward to all who take up their cross and follow Him. Knowledge is power only when it is used with Godly wisdom. 

 The Book of James: 30 Days of Devotion for Men by K L Rich is available on Amazon.com.