LISTEN AND DO!

Passage: James 1:19-27

Key verse: 22

NIV

Listening and Doing

19 My dear brothers and sisters,(A) take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak(B) and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger(C) does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of(D) all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you,(E) which can save you.

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.(F) 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. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom,(G) and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.(H)

26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues(I) deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after(J) orphans and widows(K) in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.(L)

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Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

Hearing and Doing the Word

19 (A)Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person (B)be quick to hear, (C)slow to speak, (D)slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore (E)put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with (F)meekness the implanted word, (G)which is able to save your souls.

22 But be (H)doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, (I)the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, (J)he will be blessed in his doing.

26 If anyone thinks he is religious (K)and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's (L)religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: (M)to visit (N)orphans and widows in their affliction, and (O)to keep oneself (P)unstained from the world.

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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

In the era of social media, it is very easy for people to be slow to listen, quick to speak, and quick to become angry. But Paul urges us to do the opposite: be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. Quick anger doesn’t produce the kind of righteousness in us that God is seeking. How can we be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger? By repenting of all our moral filth and coming to God humbly and accepting his word.

But we should not just listen to the word of God. We should also do what it says! When we just listen to the word but do not obey, we are like a person who looks at themselves in a mirror and then immediately forgets what they saw. It’s a waste of time and a waste of good glass. But those who look carefully at the word of God, and obey it, they will be truly blessed in what they do.

Do we consider ourselves religious? Then we should keep a tight rein on our tongues. Otherwise, our religion is worthless. Our relationship with Jesus Christ should change us. It should bring us to control our tongues, to look after widows and orphans, and to keep ourselves from being polluted by this world.

Prayer: Father, help me not to just listen and read your word, but to put it into practice in all that I do.

One Word: Listen to God’s word and obey