Become Real

Read James 1:22-25 

“Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves, do what it says.” 

You have to do.

True story. I love to workout and I follow many inspiring female athletes on Instagram. I love to see them lifting heavy things and doing crazy feats of strength and flexibility. HIIT, Flow, Cross Fit, Kettlebell training. I often watch these workout videos while lying in bed with my pajamas on. I save many of them, to do later. But, sometimes I get in a rut and realize that I am watching much more than I am doing! I’ll open one of the saved workouts and do it, feeling pretty good about myself. But that’s not enough to change me! If I don’t do the work I won’t get stronger, I won’t get more flexible or lose unwanted pounds! I’m deceiving myself!

“Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.”

The useless mirror.

We use the mirror to check ourselves, to make sure we’re alright before going out, or before logging on to ZOOM. As someone living in the Middle East, I think of tabbouleh. The delicious parsley salad is notorious for getting caught between the teeth. If we check our teeth and find there is a big piece of parsley right in front and do nothing about it, our mirror is useless. What if our Bible becomes useless, reading becomes routine. We may read Scripture and see our sin as we read it, feeling that pressing of the Holy Spirit…we may ignore it and run out into the world with tabbouleh in our teeth, UNCHANGED.

“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.”

FREEDOM-BLESSING!

So, we can hear and not do, we can see and forget/ignore or we can look intently (with intention) and do what it says and live in freedom and blessing. This is our final devotional. My prayer is that we can all learn from God’s Word, from each others lives, and Become Real.

FOR REFLECTION:

• What is one area where it is easier for you to hear the truth, but not do it? How can you improve your response?  

by Terri Plant