Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
Did I mention that James is … er… somewhat blunt? I did? Good. ‘Cause he is.
James packs a lot of truth into his brief staccato sentences so we might need to unpack some of this. Not that it is complicated or anything. It is just that what he is talking about is something we might be doing at this very moment.
Are you being “quick to listen” or are you “merely listen[ing]?”
Quick to listen is what we talked about in, “Stop the Spinning.” “Quick to listen” is James’ way of saying, “Stop thinking so hard and pay attention!” “Quick to listen” means we stop listening to ourselves and listen to someone else.
Is “merely listening” the opposite of “quick to listen?” I think maybe it is. Merely listening is looking like you are listening on the outside, but on the inside, you are watching a movie of your happy place.
Hmmm… I wonder if I can come up with some examples. How about my kids when they were little? Were they “quick to listen” to Dad’s wisdom, or were they thinking of something else and merely hearing “Blah, blah, blah?”
My wonderful wife would be happy to supply an example, too… Me! Yes, I confess: I sometimes drift off mentally when my wife is talking to me. In my defense, over the many years we have been married, I have learned to work harder at listening. Being “quick to listen” means I focus in to see what she is talking about. I’m not always successful, but I do try.
So what happens when we don’t try? James says we “deceive” ourselves. How does that work?
If you believe that you can pretend to listen (merely listen) while someone is talking and while your mind is somewhere else, you are only kidding yourself. James says we “deceive [our]selves.” I can relate. I even find myself doing the same thing when I “read” the Bible. My eyes take in the words but my mind wanders… The problem is this: If my mind wanders while I am reading God’s Word, have I really read it, or am I deceiving myself? According to James, I ain’t fooling’ nobody, especially God.
Application: Do not ”merely” listen to the word, but be ”quick to listen.” Then show that you have actually heard the word and ”Do what it says.”
Food for Thought: If a person deceives themselves, how does that affect who they are?
If one deceives themselves, then they impact the role God has for them in the body of Christ (which is His church)
I agree with Rob. I also think that when we deceive ourselves we can go along our merry way while not listening to the prompting of the Holy Spirit as we read the word. The Holy Spirit May be illuminating something we need as a warning or even an encouragement, but we are tuned out and closed off. In this case, we are in a dangerous spot spiritually and very much deceived