I recently finished a month of studying the book of James. It is a wonderful book and I always love reading it. I once memorized and quoted the whole book at one sitting for a couple for Lads to Leaders. It has lots of good lessons and I will be sharing somethings that I have gleaned from my recent studies over the next few weeks.
From James 1: 19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
22 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 someone 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 whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 27 Religion 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.
Well, that is a mouthful. First of all, who of us is actually quick to listen? I know that for myself I am much more quick to answer than to listen. I am always working on this but I fail many times.
How about anger? I am one who likes to get it off my chest right away and be done with it. What about you? Do you like to simmer and dwell on it until it festers into an absess. Move on and forgive...forgiveness frees you not them!
We have all heard that sitting in a hen house does not make us a hen...so what about hearing the word of God and not doing it. Is that what a Christian should do? NO! We must hear it an do it...keep on keeping on.
Finally, our tongues. Oh my, James will talk about this one later too. I guess having a tongue problem is not just new to us today. But if we want our religion to be pure and faultless...we must keep ourselves from being polluted by the world. Let's make the Bible our standard as we decide on movies, laws, relationships etc...
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