Doer

DEVOTION
JAMES
DOER
James 1:22-25
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 a man 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 the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it — he will be blessed in what he does.
NIV
I find it hard to comprehend how I could do anything else but be a doing of the word. But how do I judge if in fact I am a doing and now just a listener? If I remember all that I have read and have hidden it in my heart, does that count as a doing? I surely do not forget about the word, but does that imply I am actually doing what it says? I think not so. I think that would be deceiving myself thinking that because I know the word I am doing what it says. I think if I talk the walk but do not walk the talk I am so far from being who I am suppose to be. So again, how do I judge if I am doing everything I have listened to? Am I being the man of God the word declares I should be? There is so much to do, the more I listen. What if I just listened to a little, would I still be responsible for the lot? But the fact is I have listened to a lot, I teach, and preach the word and do these daily devotions, and write books, and profess my faith out loud. So I have to be a big doer, because I have so much of the word within my being. Will God hold me to any higher standard than those who have only listened to a little? I think that is the case as the word does declare so. Even within this letter of James which I know I will have to deal with at the time I get to chapter three. I do not think there is anything I desire more than to be blessed in what I do. To have the Lord bless my teaching, my preaching, my writing, so that others may be strengthened, encouraged and exhorted in their journey with the Lord. I have to allow the Holy Spirit more access to my inner being so I am walk the talk more and more each day.