DON’T JUST LISTEN TO GOD’S WORD, DO IT: Let’s talk about James 1:22-24 NIV
© Photo Credit: @jeremybishop
Happy Sunday my beautiful people! We are now on the fourth blog of the week and I have to tell you, I can’t wait to talk about this topic. You may be thinking: ‘Ugh, I hope this blog is not too long and all over the place’ Don’t worry because I’ll try to keep this short and concise as possible. After all, we have something important to do for the day right? Anyway speaking of doing, today’s verse is James 1:22-24 NIV and it states: ‘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.’ So without further ado, let’s get to the point.
Listening is the first step
I can go on and say, this is an easy step but truthfully, some of us don’t even have listening skills. If you’re one of those people, don’t worry, I’m not here to judge you. We all miss a word or two because of our pareidolia or selective hearing. We hear whatever we choose to hear for our own comfort. In do so, it may be difficult for us to listen to the Word of God simply because we want to live a life of sin. ‘Getting straight to the point there, huh Tachief?’ Yes I am, because it’s not gospel if I don’t address the issue of disobedience or negligence. To not listen to the Word is to disobey God. Some of us actually don’t want to listen to the Word because it’s a constant threat to our lifestyle. Such life is sin, and they don’t ever want it to end. As I’ve mentioned in my previous blog, we do small things we think isn’t sin, but it actually is. This is because some of us don’t even open up the bible to find out the truth. And if we don’t know the truth, it’ll be hard to listen to the Holy Spirit and know what is considered sin. ‘Sin sin sin, is that your favorite word to use Tachief?’ No. It isn’t. I just want us to know that sinning is an act of not listening to God. According to the Book of James chapter 1, it talks about the trails and temptations. God put us here on earth to be tested so that we can learn to walk by faith, with great perseverance. Consistency is key and to listen is to be consistent. When we listen, we are not missing a word or beat. When we listen, we are not interrupting and using our know-it-all ego to refute a point. When we listen, we are being consistent on comprehending what God says. If we ask God for wisdom, we’d have to listen and not have doubt. To have doubt in what He says is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. Listening, listening, listening. The first step that sounds easy to follow, but requires humility and no ego.
Now Just do it, for the purpose
Now that I’ve mentioned how important it is for us to listen to God, we now have to do the second step. Doing it. You might have a NIKE swoosh logo in your mind with the famous slogan. That’s okay, because obviously I did too. Anything to motivate you to be a doer, and not a talker is ok in God’s eyes. However, it’s not about the brand right now. It’s about His words. When we listen, we simply have to do what He says. His words are flawless, and has no contradictions. He is never boastful about His wisdom, and He cherish the purpose for each one of us. According to Him, we all have our own purpose in life. And that purpose is different and unique for everyone. God gives us our own purpose so that we could help inspire others to do what’s righteous. For instance, God created Mahatmas Gandhi and gave him a purpose of being a Civil Rights leader and peace activist. Even though he wasn’t a Christian, he had a huge impact on people like Martin Luther King jr. who go went on to become of one the most famous spokesperson and Civil Rights leaders of all time. Or how God created an ordinary person to work at your local coffee shop, brewing the drinks for customers. And he is a hard worker who never miss a day of work. That ordinary man works at a minimum wage job, but at least he purpose. A purpose to inspire his co-workers to never miss a day at work and go on to become a coffee shop owner one day. God gave us purpose as a way to inspire others so that we could stay afloat in this demonic world. By staying afloat, I mean living in peace without drowning into chaos under the firmament. Now what is the firmament? The firmament is a vault that God created for the Heavens. He want us all to go through it once we die so that we can have an everlasting life. However, that will not be the path if we do not listen to His Word and serve our purpose. Essentially, His Word is to accept Jesus Christ as our savior, and to live a life of Christ. With a purpose.
Now, what’s your purpose? Are you ready to listen to Him and do what He says?
Feel free to leave your thoughts, comments, or questions below,
Peace and Love
© Photo Credit: Jeremy Bishop / @jeremybishop
