Applying it to Myself

Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭24‬‬

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭22‬-‭26‬

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.‭

In Hebrew, there was only one word translated both hear and obey—one word meant both things. To hear was to obey.

And this is how God wants us to live—as doers of what we hear.

Sometimes we tend to hear things like this and immediately dismiss them because we think of other people they apply to, and we fail to evaluate ourselves. 

So today, rather than hearing the words of God and immediately thinking of someone else, may we begin to train ourselves to apply them to ourselves—lest we deceive ourselves, as James says above. 

This requires perseverance—James says we have to persevere in this. We have to actively press on to be a doer of the Word of God every single day.

So let’s get practical.

We just read that God’s Word says if we think we are religious but don’t bridle our tongue, then we deceive our heart.

Who has had a day where their tongue wasn’t fully bridled?

Me too.

And when Jesus spoke the verse above in Matthew 7, He had just talked about things like not worrying and not judging others.

Who has had a day in which fear, worry, and anxiety has risen up and taken over? 

Me too.

Who has had a day in which they’ve been quick to judge others? 

Me too.

This applies to us. This applies to me.

But as we persevere in being a doer of the Word of God every single day, our foundation becomes more and more solid. As we persevere in being a doer of the “law of liberty,” that law of liberty brings liberty!