Fields United Methodist Church

Pastor Tom’s Weekly Blog.            “Doers of the Word”            James 1:19-27

June 16, 2020

“But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.”

James 1:22

The most influential publication of all time is the Holy Bible; more copies have been sold of the Bible than any other book in history. Within its cover contains the revelation of God to the people of God.  So what if all we did was study the Bible, its nuances, its stories, and different writing styles. What if we spent all of our time simply studying and talking about what the Bible says but never absorbed God’s Word and truly made it part of our everyday life?  St. Paul would say that we would be nothing more than a “noisy gong or clanging cymbal” if we did not witness the love that God, through Jesus, offered to us and to the world. For me, one of the most difficult flowers to keep healthy are orchids; they are a challenge keeping them watered and exposing them to just the right amount of sunlight. A store-bought orchid normally comes with instructions for caring for the plant, so what if we read the instructions thoroughly, memorizing them completely but fail to “do” what is needed to keep the tender plant alive? The result is usually not good for the plant. So it is with God’s Word that has the power to offer grace, mercy, and salvation; if we do not actually live out the Word, it would be of no benefit to the one who needs the love of God through Christ in their life. James, the brother of Jesus, proclaims that we not only need to know God’s Word, but we need to actually act upon it, for the benefit of another child of God. When we become merely hearers of the word and fail to witness the word as a lifestyle, we rob God of glory and minimize the mighty act of salvation through Jesus Christ.  As always, God offers us a choice; either we can just know about the love of God through Jesus Christ or we can live out the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ in our “doing.” Thank you Jesus for offering your Word that has the power to heal, transform and renew all life. May our “doing” of your word make a profound difference to another and create a world full of grace and your love which has no end.

Rev. Tom Joyce, pastor

Fields United Methodist Church