Just Do it!

“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 a person 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 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.” (James 1:22-25 NIV)

“Listen to me when I’m speaking to you!” is something that most of us have heard our parents say to us at one time or another. It may be followed up with, “Did you hear a word that I said?” when our behaviour suggests that we haven’t. James tells us that we can be like this in relating to God. It is possible to listen to God’s word but not act on it. The danger of such an approach is that we “deceive” or trick ourselves. We assume that it is enough to have “heard” the word.

Imagine getting up in the morning and heading for the bathroom. After looking in the mirror we realize that our hair is a mess. We also notice that some of last night’s dinner is stuck between our teeth. Then we get dressed and leave the house without doing anything about it. This is a picture of the person who hears God’s word but fails to act on it.

In contrast, hearing and obeying is the pathway to freedom. God’s word is described as “the perfect law that gives freedom”. To our modern minds this may seem to be a contradiction. We assume that “law” brings restrictions and takes away our freedom. We usually think that true freedom comes when we can do what we like.

Interestingly, a study of playground behaviour among young children found that they felt safer and freer to play in a fenced area. When there were no boundaries in place they moved towards the centre of the playground. When there were boundaries in place they used the whole play area.

Do you know the freedom that comes from hearing and obeying God's word?