James on Sunday Morning

²² Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³ 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. ²⁴ For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. ²⁵ 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 1:22-25).

It's Sunday, and if you aren't hearing the Word today, it's time to find a new church. Assuming you are at a church that preaches the Word, James was concerned that we might only hear the Word and not act on it. That, he assured us, would be self-deception.

The epistle of James is all about faith. The basic message of James is this: You always act on what you truly believe. Thus, saying you believe in Jesus was all well and good, but if there were no confirming behaviors that surrounded it, your faith would be a dead faith. There are more tests in James, of course. How well do you control your tongue? Do you show preference to one type of person over another (specifically referencing rich folk over poor)? Are you a friend of the world or a friend of God? And on it goes. So the passage here is simply a summary of the epistle. You say the Word is important. You say that God is speaking. You say these things, but if you don't act on it, you don't really believe it.

So, how was the sermon today? Did the pastor give you something to consider from the Word? Are you moved? Be careful. Our tendency, I know, is to be hearers and not doers. Don't nod and say, "Good sermon, Pastor" and walk away unchanged. Be doers of the Word and not hearers only. Or, to put it another way, what are you going to do with what you heard today?