Written by Jonathan Munson, Executive Director

“Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”  James 1:22

Mitchell, my son with special needs, absolutely loves going to the pool. Seeing him splash and play, you’d think he was a fish. 

There’s just one little problem – he drinks the water. And I’m not just talking about a small amount of water. His water consumption on a summer afternoon rivals that of a largemouth bass.

Of course, his mom and I do everything to prevent this. We talk about it in the car on the way there. We’ve even made up a silly song that admonishes him: “Don’t drink the pool.” Yet, despite our best efforts, and even though I’m swimming right next to him, he quickly bobs his head down and takes a giant gulp. 

As you know, the human body isn’t designed to digest chlorine. Let’s just say we’ve had some very close calls where we almost haven’t gotten him out of the pool in time. (I’ll spare ya the details.)

Here’s the thing. When asked, Mitchell can repeat the rule. He’ll happily tell you he’s not supposed to drink the water. He even sings the song at the top of his lungs. But for whatever reason, his knowledge of the rule doesn’t impact his behavior in the pool.

Sadly, I’m afraid we have a lot in common with Mitchell.

Of course, we know better than to drink pool water, but we often treat the Word of God in a similar way.

Allow me to explain.

Many of us have a general familiarity with the Bible. We’ve heard hundreds, if not thousands, of sermons in our lifetime. We can even recite (or paraphrase) a few verses from memory. Nevertheless, if you really examine our lives, our Bible knowledge often fails to impact our everyday behavior. 

Let’s take it one step further.

Some of us are participating in sinful behavior that the Bible specifically prohibits. We’re not naïve; we know what the Bible says about the topic. There’s no denying it. What we’re doing is wrong and “grieves His Spirit” within us (Ephesians 4:30).

Yet, we deliberately disobey.

This is exactly the kind of foolishness James addresses in today’s key verse.

What good is our Bible knowledge if it never actually trickles down to influence our actions? What good is it if we know the guidelines of the Bible but choose to ignore them?

If this is how we’re living, James tells us flat out: we are “deceiving ourselves” (verse 22).  

The Christian life isn’t solely about accumulating Biblical information or intriguing insights. It’s about putting the Word of God into practice in our daily lives and relationships. It’s not just about hearing the Word; it’s about obeying it. And obedience isn’t merely about agreeing with what the Bible says; it’s about doing what the Bible says. Obedience always leads to a change in our behavior.

You get the point, right?

Let’s see if you do or not. 

While you’ve been reading this devotional, I imagine the Holy Spirit has nudged you about an area of your life where you need to become a “doer” of the Word and not just a “hearer.”

Don’t put it off any longer. Do what the Lord is telling you to do. 

And when you obey the Lord, thank Him for the boy with special needs who taught his dad the parable of the pool.

DIG DEEPER
Read “What Does it Mean to be Doers of the Word?” at GotQuestions.org