James 1:25 | Living Free
James 1:25 NIV 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.”
I don’t know about you, but I long to live a life of blessing and freedom. I want my life to make a difference in the world around me. I want to have an idea, make a plan, work hard, and see the results.
Yet this journey is not so straightforward. Without wisdom, experience, mentors, resources, and more, most plans will ultimately fail. I’m not just talking about entrepreneurship. I’m talking about how we live our lives every day. How do we treat people? How do we live a holy life? How do we honor others and do good?
James shows us that a life of blessing overflows from intently looking into the perfect law—the word and the spirit.
There is a condition. We must not just look at it and forget what we read. We have to do something about it. We can’t nod our heads and agree with the truth and then turn around and forget what we learned. What good would that be? James gets even more explicit about this reality later in James 4:17, saying, “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”
The point is that the truth of God is not to be taken lightly. God has offered his Holy Spirit as our teacher to live within our hearts and transform our minds. His presence renews how we think so that it is more aligned with how God thinks. Not only that, God has given us his written word, which is a direct revelation of who he is. Put together, believers actually have a chance of living a life of righteousness and holiness.
My challenge today is to make sure that you put into practice what you read and experience. Has God put a calling on your heart? Live it out. Remember that a life of freedom overflows in the life of those who intently seek after God’s truth, receive it, and live it out.
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