Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. James 1:22-25

The Easy To Read version puts it this way “Do what God’s teaching says; don’t just listen and do nothing. When you only sit and listen, you are fooling yourselves. Hearing God’s teaching and doing nothing is like looking at your face in the mirror, and doing nothing about what you saw. You go away and immediately forget how bad you looked. But when you look into God’s perfect law that sets people free, pay attention to it. If you do what it says, you will have God’s blessing. Never just listen to his teaching and forget what you heard.”

We must listen more, and speak less. Being slow to anger, we reflect, observe and then act. We must pay attention. Paying attention is noticing the obvious as well as the less than obvious movements around you. I have found myself many times, being in the same place as others. They are able to describe things that they saw that missed me. We were together all the time, how come? The opposite has happened too. To truly act on God’s teaching we first have to pay attention to what it is saying. If you are going through the motions you will miss the instructions.

The deception comes with not knowing why you are doing what you are doing. Deception comes from just following the crowd without understanding the background that has led you to this point of action. – the hitherto If we do not reflect then we could be doing the wrong thing or even acting for the wrong reasons. In acting for God and on behalf of God we must observe reflect and then act with conviction and confidence that this is the instruction. It is as if we look in the mirror to ensure that what we present reflects the best us.

We look in the mirror to make ourselves presentable before others? If we see our dress hems down or our shirts buttoned badly and still go out, that way we are fooling ourselves that we our clothes is in an acceptable condition. Similarly if we know we have faults or things that keep us from experiencing God to the fullest yet do nothing to address them, we are fooling ourselves. This fullness comes from experiencing the perfection of the law, which makes you free. We cannot feel free or confident if we are always second guessing ourselves. When we rid ourselves of the things holding us back we then live in the full abandonment of God, experiencing abiding in God without reservations.

Friends we are challenged to take a leap of faith despite the adversities we face daily, to pay attention to what God is saying, to look in the mirror and fix the faults in such a way that we can live free faithful lives resting in God’s love.

We lean on God to help us as the strength of God pilots us. The power of God preserves us. the wisdom of God instructs us. the hand of God protects us. the way of God directs us. the shield of God defend us. May the host of God guard us against the snares of evil and the temptations of the world. Where God is all is well. All will be well. All manner of things will be well.
Where God is all is well all will be well all manner of things will be well.