Daily Reflections With Jesus

James 1:21-25

21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 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.

So often in life we get so consumed with our busy day to day lives and get caught up with the world view of what is right or wrong. So caught up to the point when we read scripture we feel uncomfortable because it convicts us. But James in this passage says take off the moral filth and instead accept the word planted within you, which can save you. There is power in that. Taking off what we have grown accustomed to in our world and instead putting on the truth of God. The truth that may make us feel uncomfortable and challenge us but ultimately leads to life. Nothing in this world can lead to salvation. Nothing in this world can lead to true joy.

James is calling us to not only listen to Gods teachings but to live it out as well. We cannot do one without the other. James even says in chapter 2 that “faith without works is dead.” You cannot merely read the world and expect fruit. You have to read the word and live it out. It’s the same thing in this verse. When we look into the perfect law but don’t live it out it’s like looking in the mirror and forgetting what you saw. It has no purpose, no meaning. God doesn’t want us to simply survive. He wants us to thrive and live with purpose.

He has given us everything we need to be completely filled and to completely live. We just have to make the choice to take of what we know through the worlds views or standards and instead choose to put on what God says and accept his standards. It’s not easy and it’s not always comfortable. Gods word convicts us. The world doesn’t.

I had a dream a couple of weeks ago and the “church” was being represented by several people including myself. We were standing in jail cells. God was on the other side of the bars. He kept saying “why are you still in there? The doors are wide open! You are not prisoners anymore. Just come out of the cell! Why are you choosing to be imprisoned when I have already set you free?”

I felt like the Lord was telling the church this same message that James is sharing. God has already given us salvation. He already laid out the law. We know the difference between right and wrong from a biblical standpoint. So, why are we (the Church) continuing to live as captives in a world that we are already set free from? The door is wide open my friends! Just step out of the jail cell and accept the word planted within you, which can save you.

Lord God I praise you and thank you for today! I thank you that you are opening up my eyes to see your truth. Lord right now I take off any worldly moral filth that I have put on and instead replace it with your truth and life. God, I repent for growing idle in a broken world and accepting that it is what it is. Lord right now I take that off and ask that you would increase my dependence on you. That I wouldn’t merely read your word but I would live it out no matter where I go. Lord I praise you for what you are doing and going to do today. I ask that your light would penetrate the darkness in the lives of those around me and that you would receive the glory, honor and praise today. I pray that no matter the troubles that may come my way or the feelings I may face that you would continue to get the glory and praise. No matter what I go through or feel, whether it be good or bad I will Face Everything And Rejoice and leave False Expectations About Reality behind. Today and every day, God gets the Glory no matter what! In your Holy and Precious name, Amen!

Blessings Abundantly,

Taylor