Preparation and Action

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22

To put a lot of preparation into picking blackberries and then not going out to pick them is a self-deception. Nothing gets accomplished and the harsh winter winds will not be softened by the taste of summer.

All excuses aside (heat, bugs, business, etc.), if you prepare to pick berries then pick berries. As the famous ad slogan goes, just do it.

To hear the word of God and not do it is also a terrible form of self-deception. James likens it to a man who looks in a mirror and forgets what he looks like when he walks away.

The word of God is that mirror. It is humanity at its best and worst. All the heroes are presented as they were, good and bad traits alike. As we read it and study it, it holds up a mirror to our soul and challenges us to live up to what God expects.

James says a person who hears the word and does it is like a man who studies himself intently and sees how he measures up. This self-reflection then affects who and what he is and does in the world. It is preparation followed by action, a combination that does not let him (or her) soon forget what he (or she) saw in the mirror.

Blackberry picking has reinforced an old axiom for me--successful living is marked by preparation followed by action. It always bears fruit, in this case blackberries.

I've learned over the years that preparation without action is self-deception while action with preparation is self-defeating. How is this played out in out lives? Later in chapter 1, James mentions two areas--our words and our actions.

The tongue, as I've learned and James later points out, is a tough thing to bridle. In my early days as a Christian I used to think it meant curse words, so I tried hard to develop a Christian equivalent like "golly gee whiz" or "gosh darn." Not that I'm older I've come to realize that's childish thinking.

Based on what I've read, I think James is talking about a tongue that may not swear but easily uses words to harm others. Unfortunately, I see it playing out in our lives as people who say they are Christian hold up signs that read "God hates Fags." This kind of word us is far worse than a simple curse word. It reveals wrong thinking like bigotry, hate, racism, greed, vanity, and lust, words that reveal the true nature of the heart and the nature of the person who uses them. This is a person who never let the word of God change them, who heard the word and forgot it or even worse, ignored it.

James also mentions our actions. As with our words, which should be used to build up others, our actions are also directed at others. James mentions widows and orphans (vs. 27)--in other words, the needy around us. Our lives need to be other focused. That message doesn't seem to be getting through to a Christian culture that is so "me" focused.

God promises a blessing or the one who hears the word and does it (vs. 25), but we have careful with that word "blessing." It has become corrupted by people who preach that God wants to "bless" us with more stuff--a bigger house, a better job, a nice car, or a big bank account. I don't think that's what he wants at all. If we practice what we've learned, the blessing is seeing someone else being blessed by God.

I recently picked some red raspberries. My wife made jam and on one occasion I was able to give a container of jam to a friend. Her eyes lit up and she was so happy. Her favorite snack was peanut butter and jelly and she was thrilled to get homemade raspberry jelly. That smile was worth the preparation and the action

I think the words of Jesus sums it up best. In Luke 6:46 he asks, "Why do you call me Lord, Lord and not do what I say?" It's like a man who looks in a mirror then forgets what he looks like, or a berry picker who prepares and doesn't pick. Not doing what Jesus has called us to do is the worst form of self-deception there is.

Up next: Walking by faith, not by sight.