Hearer or Doer (James 1:22-24)

22 But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like someone looking at his own face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of person he was. -- James 1:22-24

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Today, we continue our journey word by word, verse by verse through the book of James.

James 1:22-24 commands that we not only by hear the word but that we DO what the word says.

Like much of the book of James, this is a straightforward command to not only hear the word and do nothing but to do something with it! Each and every time we hear the Gospel, hear the word preached, we are meant to do something with it!

God does not desire smarter sinners.

Imagine for a moment that I'm sitting on the couch watching a UGA football game. During half-time, my wife states, "The trash is full." Now, does she simply want me to know a truth about the status of the trashcan capacity? Does she want me to understand the depth and diameter of the trashcan that has now been filled with our junk? NO! She wants me to DO SOMETHING. She wants me to TAKE OUT THE TRASH.

Similarly, God is not interested in us just knowing more about Him or knowing more about his commands. He wants us to know him personally to love, live, and obey him forever!!

It's a sobering fact that Judas heard everyone of Jesus' sermons. He had a front row seat and yet he missed it. He heard the word (and in some senses literally saw the word) yet he never acted.

Sisters and brothers, may we not simply hear the word, may we be doers of the word. May we wage war against the notion of becoming smarter sinners and instead become the women and men God has called us to be!

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