Bible Study #2 Walk the Talk James 1:22

James 1:19-27 - 22 Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

God wants us to do more than listen to his Word; he requires that we obey it. It is not enough to say that we are Christians; our speech must reflect Christ’s love and humility. It is not enough to study God’s Word; we must live it out by caring for the needy and keeping ourselves free from worldly influences. Our walk must match our talk.

Simply reading, even studying, God’s word does not profit us if we do not obey what it says. We listen to God’s message not just to know it, but also to do it. We would be fooling ourselves to congratulate ourselves about knowledge of Scripture if that’s all there is to it. Worthwhile knowledge is a prelude to action; God’s word can only grow in the soil of obedience. In order for a lesson to make a difference in a student’s life, it must enter the heart and mind, affecting his or her life. It is important to hear God’s word, but it is much more important to obey it. We can measure the effectiveness of our Bible study time by the effect it has on our behavior and attitudes. Do we put into action what we have studied?

To be a Christian may not always seem easy. First we are to be doers not listeners only.

So many of us Christians are listeners. We focus on hearing, reading and learning the word rather than doing the word. We give Sunday school awards to those who memorize the word rather than those live according to it. We come to church to hear God’s word but do we go home to live the word? Someone said that "many Christians want to enjoy the thrill of feeling right but are not willing to endure the inconvenience of being right."

1. He first tells us what a listener does that stops him from being a doer and then he tells us what a doer does that makes him a doer. He uses the metaphor of a mirror.

2. A listener looks at his face in the mirror but then walks away and then immediately forgets what he looks like. This may seem strange but it happens everybody. Each morning I stand before the mirror and I wash my face, shave and brush my teeth. I see my face but either I am preoccupied and look but don’t see. Or else I am so familiar with my face I really don’t take a close look.

We can look in the Bible the same way. We can read or hear it but we are preoccupied and thinking about something else.

Or sometimes we think we know God’s word so well we don’t take a close look. "I know what it says, I’ve heard it before". Or perhaps we think we know ourselves very well and we don’t need to use the Bible as a mirror.

For the Bible makes us look at ourselves by comparing us to God’s holiness. It makes us see ourselves as God sees us. And in His perfect light we can’t hide any blemishes. So when we hear word we don’t apply it to ourselves. We don’t think of what it means for us and what it expects of us. And so I easily forget what it says. And so we would rather only hear and forget. It’s easier that way, so we think.

Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
PJ