DEVOTION – DAY 496

James 1:22-25 “Allowing God’s Word To Change Us”

James 1:22-25 “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in the mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 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.”

The apostle James reminds us in this passage about the need for Christians to be doers of what the Bible teaches, and not just be hearers of the Bible. Because when we hear with our ears what the Bible teaches but never apply it in our lives, we will forget what we have been told and nothing changes in our lives. We would be just like someone who looked at themselves in the mirror and soon forgot what they looked like. 

But when Christians obey and apply what the Bible (or perfect law as James referred it to in v25), they will find that they are free to become the kind of people that God had planned them to be. They would be good, moral and upright people of God. They would be blessed by God.

This passage is true up till today. In many churches, there are people who consider themselves Christians. They go to church because their family had always gone to church as part of their family tradition. They hear sermons but they soon forget what they hear. God’s Word rarely touches their hearts. They behave like non-Christians for the rest of the week when they are not in church. One of our friends belong to this category. When we tried to tell her that it is good to apply the Bible in her life, she replied that she is just not as “religious” as we are. 

We also know people who have been transformed by what the Bible teaches. They are spiritually alive. They are interested in what God has to teach them. They want all their friends and family to discover for themselves what the Bible has to teach them. They take every opportunity to serve the Lord and are maturing in Christ. These are the people that James was referring to in v25. 

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us your Word that serves to help us mature and be the kind of people you want us to be. Please help us to read and apply your Word daily in our lives so that we continue to be more matured in Christ. We humbly ask in the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Questions

  1. Do you allow the Word of God to change you from the inside out, to be more like Christ? What changes do you and others see in you as a result of applying God’s Word in your life?
  2. Why is it important to apply God’s Word in our lives? Discuss.
  3. What are some practical steps you can take to apply God’s Word in your life daily?
  4. How have you grown spiritually in the last 12 months? Share.