Listening and Living

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” –James 1:22

Whenever I was growing up, Mom would often utter her commands, such as “Dustin, you need to take out the trash.’ Or, “Dustin, turn off the TV and come to supper.” Whatever command she spoke, it was often followed by a question: “Did you hear me?” It’s an interesting question, isn’t it? Now, my hearing has never been great, but it is at the very least average. But what my Mom assumed is that when we hear something that is true or spoken from one in authority, we should do it. Simple enough, right? Your Bible says, “Love your neighbor,” then you should put it to practice. Your boss says, “Call this client,” then you should probably give them a call. The speed limit sign says 55, then you should . . . well, I’ll leave that one alone.

This command of James is so simple it is almost insulting. It would be insulting except for the fact it is so tough to live out. We relate so well to Paul and Romans 7, where he documents his own personal struggle with sin. Yet, what makes this statement interesting is the word ‘deceive.’ I think there is a direct application here to religious people. We gather every week and listen to the Word (or preach it), and yet what is preached is in many ways impossible to live out. But yet we get spiritually arrogant. We live morally ‘okay’ lives compared to others in our culture and call it good enough. We buy into the lie that if we’re a little better than average, then we’ve met our goal. We deceive ourselves.

One of the keys has to lie in the previous verse, where we are instructed to ‘humbly accept the word.’ We can’t go to the Word to back our agendas or our own personal self-righteousness. We must come to the Word with our lives open to be changed by the Holy Spirit. Only then can we begin to live out this verse.

Lord, give us the humility to approach your Word with a sense of desperation, knowing that we need your wisdom to transform our lives. Amen.