The General Epistle of James 1:22 – 27

October 18, 2022

22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:

24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.

27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Well … in today’s parlance, we’d refer to this as a ‘truth bomb’; “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only …”. We have some other good phrases, too, such as ‘talkin’ the talk and walkin’ the walk’ (we walk the walk), ‘put your money where your mouth is’ (do what you say) – I’m sure you can think of others that apply.

Keeping ourselves unspotted from the world is the real trick, though, isn’t it? As responsible adults and citizens, we have to keep abreast of all that happens across the country and to do what we can to alleviate pain and suffering but we need to be very mindful about how we let things affect us. Politics especially. We cannot, in good conscience, hate those ‘other guys’ because they see a different trajectory for America. What we can do is pray that their disordered hearts and minds are repaired in the image and likeness of Jesus and that they take up His ways. It is the kindest and most loving thing we can pray for them.

Oh … and make sure while you’re praying for them, you’re not sounding like “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank Thee that I am not as other men are: extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.” (Luke 18:11) But that we pray as the publican, “God be merciful to me a sinner.” (Luke 18:13)

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