The Book of JamesSample

Today's Devotional:

I remember whenever my parents would leave the house, my mom would always assign some type of responsibility for my siblings and me to do before they arrived back home. There was one time when I was watching my older brother play video games, and my mom said, “Hey, your dad and I are about to leave. Please take some chicken out of the freezer so that it can defrost for dinner tonight.” I glanced over briefly and replied, “Yes, ma’am!” Was I merely a child or some angelic creature of obedient perfection? Well, one hour passed, then two hours, and finally, three hours passed, and I heard my parent's car pulling up the driveway and immediately realized that I had forgotten to take the food out of the freezer. Yikes! Well, we ordered pizza that night.

Here’s what I learned. There is a difference between hearing what someone tells you to do and doing what someone tells you to do. Have you ever had that friend who is always asking people for advice, but they never do anything with it? The Bible actually pairs hearing and doing together. James challenges his listeners to stop separating the two. Now, there is an important distinction we need to make here. James is not saying that we ought to obey everything anybody says to do—they weren’t just hearing from anybody—they were experiencing the voice of God. The source matters! God doesn’t give His opinion on life. He is the source of instruction for life. His Word is pure, true, faultless, and upright. Like a mirror reflecting our true identity, lest we forget it. His Word reveals His true nature, so we always remember it. I’ve heard it said that information + application = transformation. Isn’t this true in life? We must be doers of God’s words.

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Today's devotional was written by Amanda Gonzalez.

Questions:

1. Is there an area God has given you instruction, but you haven’t taken action?
2. What is on the other side of your obedience?

Prayer:

God, thank you for your Word. I’m thankful that you want to speak to me and that you want to increase my ability to hear your voice. I pray that you would open my spiritual ears and remove any blockages in my life that hinder my relationship with you. In Jesus’ name, amen.