Chuck Swindoll tells of a mountain man from West Virginia who had never seen a city, or bright lights and modern inventions. He married a girl of the hills and they spent all their married years in the backwoods. Their one son, creatively named “Junior,”
reached his sixteenth birthday, [and] his dad began to realize it wouldn’t be too many years before their son would become a man and would strike out on his own. It troubled him that his boy could reach manhood and wind up getting a job in the city, not prepared to face the real world. He felt responsible and decided to do something about it.
He and his wife started saving for a trip the three of them would take to the city. About three years later the big day arrived. They tossed their be-longings in the ol’ pickup and started the long journey over winding, rough roads to the city. Their plan was to spend several days at a swanky hotel and take in all the sights. As they approached the outskirts of the metropolis, Papa began to get a little jumpy: “Mama, when we pull up at th’ hotel, you stay in th’ truck while Junior an’ I go in an’ look around. We’ll come back and git ya, okay?” She agreed.
Flashing neon lights and uniformed doormen greeted them as they pulled up. Mama stayed put as Papa and Junior walked wide-eyed toward the lobby. Neither could believe his eyes! When they stepped on a mat, the doors opened automatically. Inside, they stood like statues, staring at the first chandelier either of them had ever seen. It hung from a ceiling three stories high. Off to the left was an enormous waterfall, rippling over inlaid stones and rocks. “Junior, look!” Papa was pointing toward a long mall where busy shoppers were going in and out of beautiful stores. “Papa, looka there!” Down below was an ice-skating rink — inside.
While both stood silent watching one breathtaking sight after another, they kept hearing a clicking sound behind them. Finally, Papa turned around and saw this amazing little room with doors that slid open from the center. “What in the world?” People would walk up, push a button and wait. Lights would flicker above the doors and then, “click,” the doors would slide open from the middle. Some people would walk out of the little room and others would walk inside and turn around as, “click,” the doors slid shut.
By now, dad and son stood totally transfixed. At that moment a wrinkled old lady shuffled up to the doors all by herself. She pushed the button and waited only a few seconds. “Click,” the doors opened with a swish and she hobbled into the little room. No one else stepped in with her, so “click,” the doors slid shut. Not more than twenty seconds later the doors opened again — and there stood this fabulously attractive blonde, a young woman in her twenties — high heels, shapely body, beautiful face — a real knockout! As she stepped out, smiled, and turned to walk away, Papa nudged his boy and mumbled, “Hey, Junior …go git Mama!
Accept The Word
1:19-20 This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.
Getting angry can sometimes be like leaping into a wonderfully responsive sports car, gunning the motor, taking off at high speed and then discovering
the brakes are out of order. We need to learn to control our anger.
The first step we must take is to accept the word. In verse 21, James tells us to humbly accept the word planted in you. The word translated "accept" literally means "to welcome." We must cultivate a heart and life that welcomes the word. Not come into proud hearts
A life characterized by an attitude of humility, of openness, of receptivity. A life must be prepared to receive the word just as soil is prepared to receive the seed. James tells us that the word is planted in you.
To adequately prepare our hearts, James gives us three behaviors that will enable us to accept the word and receive the full benefit we should.
Slow down — that’s the first thing we need to do. We are simply traveling at too quick a pace. And when you travel at that pace, you miss the scenery along the way. James says that we should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.
Chinese proverb that says “The fastest horse cannot catch a word spoken in anger.”
One of the things that keeps us from hearing is that we need to be slow to speak. You can’t be an effective listener if you are doing all the talking. When God was giving out body parts, he gave us two ears and one mouth — Often, we don’t hear what someone is saying because we are not listening. We may ask them how they are doing, and we expect to hear an answer like "fine." That is what we are programmed to hear. Sometimes we are like that with God. We are not really listening.
Calm down — James not only tells us that we need to be slow to anger, but that our anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. You can’t communicate with an angry person. I know.
When we are angry, we are closed. We are not listening to reason. We are looking to get even and sometimes to get ahead. We feel resentment, or bitterness, and sometimes even hatred. These are barriers to communication. God cannot speak to you when you hold these attitudes in your heart.
Lay down — James tells us to get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent. What we are to lay down is sin. The word for "filth" that is used here comes from a root in Greek that means "ear wax." It is a wonderful picture. Just as we can hear with our ears full of wax, so we can’t receive God’s word with our lives full of sin. We must be willing to get rid of anything in our lives that keeps us from hearing God.
1:21 Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.
A test of Bible knowledge was given to five classes of high school seniors. Most of them failed the exam completely! Some were so confused that they thought Sodom and Gomorrah were lovers, or that the gospels were written by Matthew, Mark, Luther, and John. Others said that Eve was created from an apple, and that the stories Jesus used in teaching were called parodies. More than 80 percent of the pupils could not complete such familiar quotations as "Many are called but few are (chosen)"; or "a soft answer turns away (wrath)."
A Gallup poll conducted some years ago revealed that 60 percent of Americans did not know what "the Holy Trinity" was. Sixty-six percent couldn’t say who delivered the Sermon on the Mount, and 79 percent were unable to name a single Old Testament prophet.
How is your Bible knowledge? Do you benefit from your understanding of the Bible? The Bible says that we can be blessed by knowing and practicing God’s word. You can benefit from the Bible!
Apply The Word
1:22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
1:23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;
1:24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.
1:25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.
Research In verse 25, James speaks of the one who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom. He is not simply talking about someone who merely looks at God word. He is talking about someone who looks intently. We are to examine the word. We are to carefully investigate the word. We are to research it.
The connotation of the word translated as "look" is "to stoop down and gaze into." The idea here is not that we merely glance at God’s word but that we gaze at God’s word. I glance at the mirror every morning. But I’m not really looking very hard — unless I see something unusual. If I do, then I look a little closer. I want to take a good long look then. I want to concentrate on what I am looking at. I want to make sure that I see and remember it. We should look at God’s word in that manner. We should dig deeply for the truths that it contains. We should research it.
Reflect. James tells us that we not only look intently at the word but we also review and reflect on this word. verse 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. We are to continue to look into the word. We are to remember what we have heard and read.
James is talking about here is meditation and memorization. And these are two much-needed disciplines for the Christian today. Unless we have studied God word, we will not be able to make the right decisions, we will be more susceptible to temptation. Jesus used God’s word to deal with the temptations Satan threw his way in the wilderness. David wrote in Psalm 119:11: "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." The word can be our protection. It can be our defense against the devil. But we can only use the word if we have spent time in the word. Reading, studying, memorizing the word must become a priority.
Respond verse 22: Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Again, in verse 25, James tells us that we will be blessed, not by simply hearing the word but by doing it. We must personally respond to word. The word applies to us. It applies to you. You need to do it. That is the basis upon which you will be blessed. That is the basis upon which you will receive the benefits of the word. If you’re not willing to do the word, don’t expect to be blessed by the word.
There are too many people who think that they can receive the blessing of God without being obedient to God word. James tells us that if we think that, we are self deceived. If we are not willing to put the word into practice we are like someone who glances in the mirror but really never sees what they look like.
Mirrors show us what we really look like. When you look into the mirror, you see the brutal truth.(curse/blessing of lens/God’s airbrushing) Now, sometimes I don’t want to acknowledge that truth. Most mornings I am oblivious and I look into the mirror to wash my face and comb my hair, but I am really not looking at myself to see what I truly look like. I see, but I don’t really see.
The word of God will serve as a mirror to show you the truth about yourself. But it will only do you some good if you apply it to your life.
Act On The Word
1:26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.
1:27 Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
If you want to act on the word, the first thing you need to do is grab your tongue. James tells us that our religion is worthless unless our tongue is kept on a tight rein. What he is saying here is somewhat different from slow to speak. Here he is saying that we need to control our speech. If we can learn to control our tongue, we can harness most of our other behavior as well.
James goes on to tell us that if we want to act on the word we will learn to give to others. Practical religion is to look after orphans and widows in their distress. Living out the word in a practical way will mean that we care about others.
People matter to God and should matter to us as well. Don’t focus on what you can’t do. Instead, focus on what you can do. You might not be able to do everything, but you can do something. And people will see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
And finally, James tells you to guard your life. He tells us at a mark of true spirituality is to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
What can you put into practice? What has God said to you? Perhaps you need to slow down. Maybe the pace of your life kept you from really being able to serve God like you should?
Has God said that you need to calm down? Is there too much anger in your life?
Or perhaps a sin that you need to lay down. It could be a sin of commission or a sin of omission. Sins of omission are things you should be doing but are not. In one case you need to lay down the sin you are committing and in the other case you need to lay down your refusal to do what God has told you to do.
Perhaps make a commitment to read and research, to meditate and memorize, to respond and obey God’s word.
