Doers of the Word (James 1:17-27)

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Doers of the Word<= o:p>

(James 1:17-27)<= /span>

James 1:17-27 (New International Version)

¹⁷Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Fat= her of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. ^{18<=
/sup>He
chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that<=
/span>
we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.}

Listening and Doing =

¹⁹My= dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to sp= eak and slow to become angry, ²⁰for man's anger does not bring about= the righteous life that God desires. ²¹Therefore, get rid of all mor= al filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted = in you, which can save you.

²²Do not merely listen= to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it = says. ²³Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks l= ike. ²⁵But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but do= ing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

²⁶If anyone considers = himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives him= self and his religion is worthless. ²⁷Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

James 1:17-27 (The Message)

^16-18So, my very dear friends, don't get thrown off c= ourse. Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rive= rs of light cascading down from the Father of Light. There is nothing deceitfu= l in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle. He brought us to life using the true Word, showing us off as the crown of all his creatures. <= /p>
Act on What You Hear=

^{19-21Post
this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up
with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God's righteous=
ness
doesn't grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous ev=
il
in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you wi=
th
the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life.}

^22-24Don't fool yourse= lf into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear = and don't act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minut= es later have no idea who they are, what they look like.

²⁵But whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God—the free life!—even out = of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it, is no distracted scatterbrain bu= t a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action.

^26-27Anyone who sets h= imself up as "religious" by talking a good game is self-deceived. This k= ind of religion is hot air and only hot air. Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and lovele= ss in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world.<= /o:p>

Doers of the Word (James 1:17-27)

Have you ever received a carried-in dinner after surgery, free babysitting for a rare night out with your spouse, or a surprise gift of money that met an unspoken need? God bri= ngs these types of gifts into our lives to bless the giver and receiver.

It can be difficult to receive such blessings when we usually would rather be the giver. Yet, when we don’t permit someone to give, we steal a blessing. At the same time we are humbled in receiving such blessings.

An Unexpec= ted Blessing
I am reminded of a story about some missionaries= . During their first year on the mission field they were humbled= by such a sweet practical blessing. Their family was down to its last $10 befo= re more funds would be deposited in their account at the end of the month, and= the $10 was untouchable because they needed it for gas to pick up people for church. The family had only on= e roll of toilet paper left to last the week for a family of five. Two days later a package arrived that had been mailed by a dear lady in a supporting church a couple months earlier. Their family pact was to not open packages until the entire family was present.

When they opened it, they discovered the heavy box was filled cleaning supplies, treats for the child= ren, and four rolls of bathroom tissue. God provided for a precious need. Later, when personally thanking that sweet lady, she said she put the toilet paper= in to fill some available space in the package (without adding much weight). S= he was unaware she was being obedient in providing a need that God was sending= to this family long before they needed it.

Receiving is at times can be difficult. But unless someone receives, God does not teach the blessings of giving.

Themes from Scripture
Themes in this passage are receiving, speaking, listening, and doing. We are to receive the good gifts from God (v. 17). Speaking out is cautioned; we are to be wise in wha= t we say and how we say it (vv. 19 and 26). Listening is how we take in informat= ion, and doing is taking action (v. 22).

In our mission story, we see = all these themes complete God’s purpose. We received such a practical blessi= ng with the package. The sweet lady in Indiana listened to the Lord’s leading and = acted upon it= . Messages were exchanged of thanksgiving and blessing when both parties realized how one was used to give and the other to receive.

A church billboard posted this statement: “Coincidence is when God chooses not to make himself known.” It was no coincidence that the p= ackage met our needs, and it was no coincidence it was mailed at the perfect time = to arrive on the right day, and it was no coincidence we waited to open it together. Had we not had that need that week and been trying to conserve, w= ould we have known God’s hand was truly providing our every need?

In continuing these themes in verses 23-25, James talks about those who hear the Word but ignor= e what is said in contrast to those that hear and act upon it. James is talking to Christians. We are all to reflect Jesus Christ. When we look = in the mirror, do we see the reflection of Jesus or our old selves?=

Influenced= or Influencing?
Recently at the dinner table a young guest was commenting on t= he reputations of Christians at restaurants. He said servers hate to work on Sundays, noting that Christians are known for being poor tippers and very r= ude. Though I had heard this before, it struck me again. As Christians, we attend Sunday school faithfully, participate in worship, take the Lord’s Sup= per, and listen to the Word, and then we walk out the doors and into the world a= nd resume old practices.

Upon entering a restaurant for Sunday dinner, do the workers avoid serving our table or do they look forwa= rd to a fresh breath of air from someone who truly cares about them, shares th= eir financial blessings, and treats them with respect and appreciation? Why is it we often leave our reflec= tion of Christ in the church pew? God calls us to be authentic and pure.=

James concludes this lesson w= ith a challenge for us to be authentic, and he gives us some guidelines to make= it very clear how the world will know if our behavior is Christlike. We are to be in control of our tong= ues, care for the fatherless and widows, and reflect Christ by not being influen= ced by the world (vv. 26, 27).

The word used here for “religious” is threskos in Greek. “It can refer to= one who has a genuine walk with God or to one who merely keeps outward rituals.”¹ James is referring to being genuine and authent= ic in our faith by including selfless acts of service, an active response to t= he grace given us. These acts flow out of our commitment a= nd love for the Lord. We cannot earn our place in Heaven, but we can al= low the reflection of Christ to appear on our beings by caring for those in need—not just orphans or widows, but all in need.
James 1:27 concludes, “[not] being pol= luted by the world.” In 2 Corinthians 10, Paul admonishes us to keep things re= al and not to allow the world to sway us.

We are all influenced at different levels by the world. Our youth are told how to be “cool.= 221; Women are told to be beautiful. Men are told how to be successful. Our thou= ghts become distorted. Focus on 2 Corinthians 10:5: “We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

When we are tempted to be influenced by the world’s messages, we must be clear that they reflect what Christ teaches us to say, hear, receive, or do.

So how have you been ble= ssed by giving and receiving?

As Christian Woman of God, I = want us to take a deeper look at ourselves!&nbs= p; (Look in the mirror and ask the question, How do others see me?)

Am I a doer of the Word or Listener only? These are ques= tions you can ask only of yourselves and not answer it for anyone else!

Ø Some people are hurt by our actions

Ø Some people are hurt by our speech

Ø Some people are hurt by our attitude

Ø Some people are hurt because we are not being a doing of the W= ord of the Lord, but hearers only.

Conclusion

Let’s ask the Lord= to show us ourselves and help us to be a doer of the word and not hearers only= !