Hearers and doers

Can you imagine walking in the bathroom, sitting there looking into the mirror, you see yourself, you see every line, crease, scar, dimple, you see your nose, you see your eyes, you notice they are brown like mine, you see you have brown eye lashes and eye lids. When you walk away from the mirror you think to yourself now what color eyes do I have, what color is my hair? Can you imagine doing that? You walk in the bathroom and restudy your face every time, but as soon as you stop looking you forget. That would be very frustrating, to continue to forget what I look like

In James 1:22-25, he talks about that very thing. it says in verse 22-24 "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. " He is making the comparison, how often do we hear a great teaching, but since we are so busy thinking about our problems or our struggles we miss the very word that was given to us. Or we read the Bible, but we aren't reading it to learn, but reading it like a chore, like something we have to do to be a Christian. But God calls us to something deeper with Him, He calls us to hear Him and follow His teaching, not just to hear the word of God, but to do it. In James 1:25 he says "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." James is bringing it all in a full circle, he is saying this is what you are not to do, because and now this is what you are to do. James is clear that this honors God. We are suppose to not just be hearers, hearing is good, but doing what we have heard is what God wants us to do, He wants us to learn from Him, not learn from the world. Satan is teaching us things every day, who are we listening to the Satan or to God?

James warns us about our tongues how we need to desire above any other to want to honor God. When we desire to honor self more than God, we are not hearing what God has said in His word. God talks about how we need to be lovers of God and not lovers of self, Timothy wrote about this in 2 Timothy 3:1-9 "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be 

• lovers of themselves, = Selfish, self centered, all they care about is themselves
  
• lovers of money, = They care more about making money then about God
  
• boastful, = Excessive self pride, of achievements even struggles, all about self.
  
•  proud,= feeling deep pleasure or satisfaction as a result of one's own achievements
• abusive, = extremely offensive and insulting. name calling, belittling, disrespectful
• disobedient to their parents, = with no honor, no respect, doesn't listen, does own thing
• ungrateful, = not feeling or showing gratitude.
•  unholy = sinful; wicked, not caring about sinning, no remorse
• without love, = having no feelings of love, no action or passion, cold, icy, caring only about self
• unforgiving = not willing to forgive or excuse people's faults or wrongdoings.
• slanderous = false and malicious, abusive, insulting
• without self-control = inability to manage your actions, feelings and emotions
• brutal = savagely violent, cruel, vicious, ferocious
• not lovers of the good = doesn't care what is right to do, does what feels good
• treacherous = guilty of or involving betrayal or deception.
• rash = displaying or proceeding from a lack of careful consideration of the possible consequences of an action.
• conceited = excessively proud of oneself; vain
• lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God  = cares more about pleasure than pleasing God
• having a form of godliness but denying its power = Going to church, but not hearing the word, not doing it.

Have nothing to do with such people. 6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9 But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone."

Isn't it time to take a hard look at ourselves to see what area's that God is calling us to change. Are we more worried about what others think about us then God? God created us, we need to fear Him, to reverence Him, we need to want to Honor Him above all else, if we are more worried about self than about God, what does that say about our walk with Him? In our marriages, if we are not following what God says to do, because it is to hard, or we just do not feel like it, we are grieving the Holy Spirit, Ephesians 4:30-31 "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice." or in 1 Thessalonians 5:19 "Do not quench the Spirit;". Isn't it time to get down on our knees and pray, beg forgiveness and turn from our wicked ways? Isn't it time for a change? We must be willing to allow God to change us and take the steps necessary to change, if we are idle we are not wanting change, we are wanting only what we want and that is selfishness and selfishness is a sin.