James 1:22

I just want to share to you my homework in our Baptist College of Leadership (BCL) class. Our topic was about debotional method since we are currently taking up the subjest "Methods of Bible Study".

“Prove yourselves doers of the Word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.” James 1:22

EMPHASIS:

Doers of the Word- I am a Sunday school teacher. Those of us who are called to preach or teach the Word of God must put it on first. To proclaim the Word of God as if it was true in our life, when it is not, is a LIE. Another point is that, once we hear/read the Word of God, we are obliged to do what it commands. Yes, it’s quite hard to be as holy as what God wants us to be, but we can always ask God to give us strength.

Hearers who delude themselves- Those of us who receive the Word are also vulnerable to self-deception if we fail to put it into practice. Let’s take for instance, we hear a sermon or a lesson, and say “Wow! What a great truth!” and hurry off to share it with someone else without processing it ourselves and applying it in our own lives. If I do not act on the truth I hear of my good heavenly Father, then I am deceived because the truth I heard does not stay before me, and I soon forget it and so forget myself.

PARAPHRASE:

A genuine Christian does not just listen to the Word and so deceive herself. The Word must be applied and reflected in her life.

PERSONALIZE:

I must not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive myself. I must do what it says.

SIN TO CONFESS: I must confess that there are times I am being pretentious. I listen to the Word and read my Bible, but me, myself is not reflecting what that specific Scripture is telling me, especially when I teach in the Sunday School. Also, I am afraid to admit it when my life does not completely match up to the Scripture.

ATTITUDE TO CHANGE: I must be true, not only to myself, but most especially; I must be true to the One who created me, to the One who gave me the gift of teaching. This verse made me realize that I have a perfection complex. I have this thinking that I have to model perfection and not admit to something else. I must accept the fact that I can’t model perfection, because I am not perfect; I can only model growth. The people around me need to know that I am a real person in the process of maturing.

COMMAND TO OBEY: It is clear in this verse that we are commanded to do what the Word is telling us to do. We must continue to grow spiritually by reading, listening, and applying God’s Word in our lives.

PRAYER TO PRAY: Lord, forgive me for the times I have placed the quest for earthly perfection ahead of growth in You and Your Word. Help me model growth in my life today.

ERROR TO AVOID: We are tempted when we are in trouble to believe that just hearing the truth, or "knowing" the truth is enough.

TRUTH TO BELIEVE: This verse reminds me that listening and receiving again and again the truth of God's amazing love and grace for us will help us to be more deliberate and faithful in our words and with our actions.

To act on the truth we hear is to live as if God is truly our gracious heavenly Father and that He alone gives us our worth, our identity. But this is to allow very deep habits of mind, words, and actions to be transformed.

To act on what we hear though, is not simply to try harder not to, say, not complaining or being anxious. James 1:22 is not encouraging me to simply try harder to live right. This is encouraging me to do whatever I need to do in order to feed my faith in my heavenly Father.

SOMETHING TO PRAISE GOD FOR: I praise God for His faithfulness to complete me. I praise God for His unchanging, generous, and completely good character.