"But Doing It"

Scripture: James 1:25
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.

Observation:
NIV- "...And continues in it- not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it…"
ESV- "…And perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts…"
NASB- "And abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer…"
There are two different commands in this one little section: Remain and do.  And there is one thing we are instructed to avoid: just hearing then forgetting.
Continues… Perseveres… Abides… all of these are different translations of a word that means "to remain beside or near."  After, we "look intently" at the "perfect law," the next step is to remain near it. I so often just look at it for a day (or four) but then it becomes a note in the margin or a page in my journal.
Nerdy example… Let's say I am writing a research paper for class.  (I am currently doing Ed.S. classes at LMU.)  I stay after work and save my assignment to my home drive (on the school network.)  When I get home, I need to work on it some more.  But I can't now because I don't have access to my H drive from home.  What's worse is I can't pull it up at LMU either because LMU's network doesn't talk to MCS's network.  Instead, I should have saved my paper in Google Docs, OneDrive, or the flash drive on my keychain so that I could keep it with me.
The same goes for God's Word.  We have to keep it with us at all times.  Not the actual book (or app on my phone)… but the Word in my head.  I still don't exactly understand how "The Cloud" works, but I think we need a Bible cloud on our internal storage.  Romans 2:15 says, "They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them."  In other words, God desires to write his Word on our hearts, consciences, and thoughts so that it impacts us constantly.
And that's where the "doing" comes in.  This is the really hard part, isn't it?  Because God's Word commands us to do some scary things.  But the thing is… the more we "look intently" and then "abide in" God's Word, the more natural it seems for us to become a part of that story.  We are drawn to his truths and empowered to share them.

Application:

If I hear the scriptures read on Wednesdays and Sundays, I am highly likely to be a "forgetful hearer."  If I sleepily read a passage each morning but don't really digest it, it's as good as saving it to a hard drive that will soon get reimaged by the world.  That's why I started using the SOAP method to break apart verses and really digest them.  I am getting better at hearing the gist of God's Word in my head, but usually still have to Google the reference to find the exact verse.  I still have a long way to go before I could say that God's Word is written on my heart though.  

But I don't want to be a "forgetful hearer."  I REALLY want to be an "effectual doer."  I want God's Word to impact me at such a deep level that it changes who I am.  I want its input to affect my output.  I play a role in this because self-discipline is definitely part of this equation.  But the MUCH bigger factor is grace.  The Lord is working in my heart, making me fall in love with his Word, causing me to fall more in love with Him.  Thank you Jesus!  And as that happens, my actions are changed too.

Prayer:
God, you are so amazing!  Thank you so much for your Word.  Please write it on my heart, Lord, so that it impacts me in a way that makes me an "effectual doer."  I want to make a difference for you!  In Jesus' name.  Amen!

Today is Part 3 of a 4 part series looking at James 1:25.  If you missed them, check out parts 1 and 2.  And please stay around for tomorrow's post!
Part 1: Looks Intently
Part 2: The Perfect Law that Gives Freedom
Part 3: But Doing It
Part 4: They Will Be Blessed

Confident in this…
Miranda