James 1:19-27 (English Standard Version)

Hearing and Doing the Word

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

²²But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³For 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. ²⁴For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. ²⁵But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

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

This first paragraph starts by giving us a list of to do and not to do. I like lists a lot, unless I can't keep them. I am a very angry person. I heard Josiah Bancroft describe the type of anger I have as a "nice-angry." I may never raise my voice, but I will give people the silent treatment, I will behave in a passive-aggressive manner towards them, I will manipulate the situation until it looks like I can do nothing wrong. Yet I find God telling me "the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God." My mother says that anger is a check engine light. It is suppose to tell you when something is unjust; however, you are not suppose to set the car on fire because the light comes on. We are suppose to use that light to find a Godly solution to the injustices.
One of my friends from work and I were recently talking. She said,"Now I'm a religious person, but I don't go to church because I don't like certain things about the church." I was able to finish her thought,"The church is full if hypocrites." We have a church full of hearers, but not doers. We go to church on Sunday, we listen, but we take nothing to heart. There is not action involved. I have done this, I do this. We also don't fully look upon the law as we should. We should be starving for the spiritual food that God gives us in His word, yet we look as devotions, church, bible study as things to check off our spiritual list. Don't we know that real repentance produces change. Don't we realize the way God longs for us to reap spiritual blessings, but we can't because we are not doers of the word.

Father, I am angry. I listen with out hearing or understanding Your law. I do not do the good works You have called me to do. Father, You have provided and put Your word in me. May I use it. May put it into practice. May my life reflect the truth of my heart. May You make my heart long after You. May You put a desire for You in my heart. Father, may You help me stay unstained from the world. May I come before You with clean hands and a clean heart.