To Do or Not to Do (3 of 12)
Series: Put Your Faith to Work
Keith Krell
James 1:19-27
[Michael Kirchdorfer, my Moody Bible Institute intern from Meinheim, Germany, walks up on stage and shares the following personal testimony.]
''I am so sick and tired of it! Last Monday I was reading my Bible and it hit me really hard that there is so much I know about the Bible and so much that I don't apply. It is so frustrating that I think I know God and that I am spiritual just because I have memorized a verse or read a chapter in the Bible. I am guilty of confusing spirituality and godliness with head knowledge of God's Word. I am not saying that I know a lot; but right now, I'd rather know less and actually do more.
Can you relate to Michael's struggle? I sure can! I love God's Word. I have devoted my life to studying it. I have memorized the Word. I have studied the Word in the original languages. I have read countless commentaries about the Word. I have even seen the Word change my life and the lives of countless people. Nonetheless, there are times when I'm appalled at how little I truly obey what I have studied. Perhaps you are like me, and you struggle putting what you have learned into practice. James says this ought not be. Instead he says: When it comes to the Word-just do it. In 1:19-27 he will motivate us to follow two critical directives.
1. Hear God's Word (1:19-20). James stresses the strategic role of God's Word when enduring trials and resisting temptation (cf. 1:2-18). In 1:19 he writes, ''This you know [or ''know this!''], my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger.'' James begins this section with the command ''know'' (iste) because he wants you to apply this verse and what follows. He then gives three more commands that serve as proverbs for living life under trials and temptations. These principles also serve for living all of life. Moreover, these three commands reveal James' outline for ...
Series: Put Your Faith to Work
Keith Krell
James 1:19-27
[Michael Kirchdorfer, my Moody Bible Institute intern from Meinheim, Germany, walks up on stage and shares the following personal testimony.]
''I am so sick and tired of it! Last Monday I was reading my Bible and it hit me really hard that there is so much I know about the Bible and so much that I don't apply. It is so frustrating that I think I know God and that I am spiritual just because I have memorized a verse or read a chapter in the Bible. I am guilty of confusing spirituality and godliness with head knowledge of God's Word. I am not saying that I know a lot; but right now, I'd rather know less and actually do more.
Can you relate to Michael's struggle? I sure can! I love God's Word. I have devoted my life to studying it. I have memorized the Word. I have studied the Word in the original languages. I have read countless commentaries about the Word. I have even seen the Word change my life and the lives of countless people. Nonetheless, there are times when I'm appalled at how little I truly obey what I have studied. Perhaps you are like me, and you struggle putting what you have learned into practice. James says this ought not be. Instead he says: When it comes to the Word-just do it. In 1:19-27 he will motivate us to follow two critical directives.
1. Hear God's Word (1:19-20). James stresses the strategic role of God's Word when enduring trials and resisting temptation (cf. 1:2-18). In 1:19 he writes, ''This you know [or ''know this!''], my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger.'' James begins this section with the command ''know'' (iste) because he wants you to apply this verse and what follows. He then gives three more commands that serve as proverbs for living life under trials and temptations. These principles also serve for living all of life. Moreover, these three commands reveal James' outline for ...
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