James 1:16-27 Just Do It!

16Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. 17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

Listening and Doing

19My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. 21Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But 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.

26If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. 27Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

When I listen to the recordings of myself witnessing to strangers, many times I hear myself trying so hard to get to my point, and stay on target that I often overrun the person. We need to be quicker to listen to people. They have genuine questions that deserve to be heard and responded to. We know that we want to take them through God's Law and get them to repent, but sometimes we would be better off listening to their concerns so we can better be able to answer them. And, if we are quick to listen to the Holy Spirit, we can better speak to their hearts. And, certainly we should never become angry with the person. Remember back to the time before we were saved. Remember how we felt when someone presented us with our reflection in the mirror of God's Law. If someone becomes agitated, stay calm and pray for them. The Spirit of God is working on their hearts, and it is uncomfortable. Remember, we wrestle not against men, but against spiritual powers.

Take heart, dear brothers and sisters. Remember, don't just read what God's word says, do it. Let your compassion swallow your fears. Get out there and be hated for His sake. Go be a fool for Christ. The book of James is not a manual for becoming a Christian, but a manual for acting like one. So, remember, before Nike came along, God said, "Just Do It"