“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 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 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. Or, to say it another way, we know we’re not supposed to “drink the pool water,” but we swallow it anyway.

(Like what happens when Mitch drinks chlorine, we don’t feel the negative effects until later.)

This is exactly the kind of foolish behavior 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 live, 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 into practice in our daily lives and relationships.  It’s not just about hearing the Word; it’s about obeying it. 

For example, if we listen to a sermon about prayer, we should take steps to pray more diligently than we did the previous week. Suppose our small group discussion is about treating others with the kindness of Jesus. In that case, we should demonstrate tenderness and goodness to our family, friends, and coworkers in the days that follow. 

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.”

Please don’t put it off any longer.  Act on what the Lord is telling you. 

And when you do, thank Him for the boy with special needs who taught his Dad about the parable of the pool.

Written by Jonathan Munson, Executive Director, RFTH