Qualities Needed in Trials

James 1:19–25
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The thought of this scripture passage, as it pertains to the Word of God, may be described as follows:

1. It demands attention (vv. 19-20). The inferen­ce is that many do not adequately hear because they are so quick to speak. The Lord gave us two ears and one mouth so we ought to do twice as much listening as we do talking.
2. It demands reception (v.21). Having urged  his readers to have an attentive attitude toward the Word, James now calls on them to receive it, embrace it and make it  their own. We must put out of our lives everything which it condemns.
3. It demands practice (vv.  22-25). James’ appeal to the believer is, “But be ye doers of the word and not hears only” The person who thinks it is sufficient just to be a hearer is deceiving himself (v. 22b).

Think about the life of a person who hears but does not practice the Word (vv. 23-25). It is like a man who looks carelessly at himself in a mirror and then immediately forgets what he really looks like.  The person who is a mere hearer of the Word does something similar to this: He hears the Word, but it is soon forgotten and has no lasting influence on him. The point is that hearing without doing is of little or no benefit.

Application

I need to ask each member of my family to share one thing that God has recently spoken to them about through his Word. Then ask what steps they are taking to put it into practice. Do I need an accountability partner?