September 3, 2018

James 1:22  Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

I guess on Labor Day it is fitting to look at a verse about getting things done. Many people know quite a bit about hard work when it comes to their jobs and many of us benefit by it. Then, sometimes, when we turn to God and faith and religion we can make everything very theoretical. We listen to sermons and have discussions about God and pass judgement on what is wrong with those who see things different. In the long run we all know that our actions speak louder than our words. James wasn’t saying that we should only be concerned with doing the right thing, that faith is simply a matter of following the rules. But he is saying that there is something inauthentic about faith that can’t be observed in the way we live our lives. We all have ways that we put off doing those things that we truly believe are the right thing to do and we might want to explore why that is. The disconnect between what we say is right and good and what we do about it can be a door opening to greater truth about ourselves and God. This week, look at your life-words and actions- to see if there are ways you “deceive yourself.”