Hearing and Doing the Word

How is your Bible knowledge? Do you benefit from your understanding of the Bible?  The Bible says that we can be blessed by knowing and practicing God’s word. You can benefit from the Bible!

Looking at the book of James we see instruction on how we should govern ourselves in the areas of trials and temptations, listening, doing, speaking, wisdom, boasting, patience, and faith. As we briefly examine these areas, God reveals His infinite wisdom.  It is also a powerful tool of edification, correction, and justification.

One of the things that keeps us from hearing is that we need to be slow to speak. You can’t be an effective listener if you are doing all the talking. 

Calm down — James not only tells us that we need to be slow to anger, but that our anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.  You can’t communicate with an angry person. 

When we are angry, we are closed.  We are not listening to reason. We are looking to get even and sometimes to get ahead.  We feel resentment, or bitterness, and sometimes even hatred.  These are barriers to communication.  God cannot speak to you when you hold these attitudes in your heart. 

Lay down — James tells us to get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent.   What we are to lay down is sin.  The word for "filth" that is used here comes from a root in Greek that means "ear wax."   It is a wonderful picture.  Just as we can hear with our ears full of wax, so we can’t receive God’s Word with our lives full of sin.   We must be willing to get rid of anything in our lives that keeps us from hearing God. 

Apply the Word — James tells us to humbly accept the Word planted in you. The word translated "accept" literally means "to welcome." We must cultivate a heart and life that welcomes the Word and not come into proud hearts.

A life characterized by an attitude of humility, of openness, of receptivity. A life must be prepared to receive the Word just as soil is prepared to receive the seed. James tells us that the Word is planted in you.  To adequately prepare our hearts, James gives us three behaviors that will enable us to accept the Word and receive the full benefit we should. 

Intently — James speaks of the one who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom. He is not simply talking about someone who merely looks at God's Word. He is talking about someone who looks intently. We are to examine the Word. We are to carefully investigate the Word. We are to research it.  

Reflect — James tells us that we not only look intently at the Word but we also review and reflect on this Word. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it — he will be blessed in what he does. We are to continue to look into the Word. We are to remember what we have heard and read.

The connotation of the Word translated as "look" is "to stoop down and gaze into." The idea here is not that we merely glance at God’s Word but that we gaze at God’s Word.  If I do, then I look a little closer. I want to take a good long look then. I want to concentrate on what I am looking at. I want to make sure that I see and remember it. We should look at God’s Word in that manner. We should dig deeply for the truths that it contains. We should research it.

Meditate and Memorize — Unless we have studied God's Word, we will not be able to make the right decisions, we will be more susceptible to temptation. Jesus used God’s Word to deal with the temptations Satan threw his way in the wilderness. David wrote in (Psalm 119:11) "I have hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against you." 

The Word can be our protection. It can be our defense against the devil. But we can only use the Word if we have spent time in the Word. Reading, studying, memorizing the Word must become a priority.

Be Blessed — James tells us that we will be blessed, not by simply hearing the Word but by doing it. We must personally respond to the Word. The Word applies to us. It applies to you. You need to do it. That is the basis upon which you will be blessed. That is the basis upon which you will receive the benefits of the Word. If you’re not willing to do the Word, don’t expect to be blessed by the Word.

There are too many people who think that they can receive the blessing of God without being obedient to God's Word. James tells us that if we think that, we are self deceived. If we are not willing to put the Word into practice we are like someone who glances in the mirror but really never sees what they look like.

The word of God will serve as a mirror to show you the truth about yourself. But it will only do you some good if you apply it to your life.

Act On The Word — James tells us that our religion is worthless unless our tongue is kept on a tight rein. What he is saying here is somewhat different from slow to speak. Here he is saying that we need to control our speech.  If we can learn to control our tongue, we can harness most of our other behavior as well.

James tells you to guard your life. He tells us at a mark of true spirituality is to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. He goes on to tell us that if we want to act on the word we will learn to give to others. Practical religion is to look after orphans and widows in their distress. Living out the word in a practical way will mean that we care about others.

People matter to God and should matter to us as well. Don’t focus on what you can’t do. Instead, focus on what you can do. You might not be able to do everything, but you can do something. And people will see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

What can you put into practice? What has God said to you? Perhaps you need to slow down. Maybe the pace of your life kept you from really being able to serve God like you should?  Has God said that you need to calm down?  Is there too much anger in your life?  Make a commitment to read and research, to meditate and memorize, to respond and obey God’s word. 

(James 1:19)  We should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. 

(James 1:21) Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.  

(James 1:22)  But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

(James 1:23)  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 

(James 1:24)  for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.

(James 1:25)   But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does. 

(James 1:26)  If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. 

(James 1:27)   Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. 

~Bits and Pieces of Sermon by Guy McGraw

Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven't stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to his will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works. We pray that you'll live well for the Master, making him proud of you as you work hard in his orchard. As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you'll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us. (Colossians 1:9-12 MSG)