James 1:22
Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
If I were leading one of my students in a guided reading group and we came upon that verse my first inclination would be to ask them to find in the text what the Word says to do. The answer is in verse 2:8 "Love your neighbor as yourself". That's an answer we originally read in Leviticus 19:18. We can all agree that loving our neighbors is not that easy, especially those where extra grace is required. One of the most anchoring thoughts is that we are not required to "do" anything on our own because God knows we can't. We read yesterday "don't be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows" (James 1:17-18) Jesus is our Perfect Gift. Keeping Jesus at the center of everything we do is how we can be "doers" - showing love to others because we have received love first and that Perfect Gift is what enables us . Everything we do flows from our relationship with Jesus. Today's reading brought to mind a song we often sing - I've attached the You Tube link for Jesus At The Center of it All.
Blessings,
Randi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQspvrTBd6E
Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
If I were leading one of my students in a guided reading group and we came upon that verse my first inclination would be to ask them to find in the text what the Word says to do. The answer is in verse 2:8 "Love your neighbor as yourself". That's an answer we originally read in Leviticus 19:18. We can all agree that loving our neighbors is not that easy, especially those where extra grace is required. One of the most anchoring thoughts is that we are not required to "do" anything on our own because God knows we can't. We read yesterday "don't be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows" (James 1:17-18) Jesus is our Perfect Gift. Keeping Jesus at the center of everything we do is how we can be "doers" - showing love to others because we have received love first and that Perfect Gift is what enables us . Everything we do flows from our relationship with Jesus. Today's reading brought to mind a song we often sing - I've attached the You Tube link for Jesus At The Center of it All.
Blessings,
Randi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQspvrTBd6E
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