What Is It We Are Suppose To Do?

22 But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. ²³For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; ²⁴for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. ²⁵But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing.

26 If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. ²⁷Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.(James 1)

James ends chapter one with three of interesting issues that catch my mind this morning.

One is the doing of faith.  That is living one’s faith by caring for others and the environment.  Or some as some would say, loving others and the creation God created us to live live in.

Another is the mirror analogy —  what we see in our own reflection.  

Another is the issue of “religion.”  Did you notice he didn’t use faith?  

“Doing,” personal image, and “religion” get all mushed up together in these two short paragraphs.  

Hum!  

For today I will think about the “doing” of the word.  Which is: 

care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

At the very beginning of creation God gives us charge over all that has been made.  Often people interpret that as control/authority over.  

The word used in Genesis is “dominion over.”

Dominion is defined as “supreme power or authority.”  In the Greek and Hebrew it, in many ways, supports the idea of power and control over humans, creatures and the earth.

However if we take the invitation to "have dominion" to its depths, what I believe was, God’s original invitation; we would have to remember that since we are made in God’s image; we are then being asked to take care of all that God made.  As God would.

To push a bit further.  Since God made everything “very good,” then we also should respond in kind.  And live, and do, in very good ways.  Treating nature with great care.  And treating others with respect, kindness and compassion.

One problem with that direction is that then we need to define what God meant by “very good.”

And so I will take on the challenge.  

The Old Testament Commandments are fairly clear on this subject, even for our  human logic to digest.  Ten rules easily understood.  

The first one being love God.  Believe in God first of all., Honor God with our hearts and our mouths and our actions..

Then:

Respect our parents.

             Don’t murder/harm others.

                 Be faithful to God and others.

            Don’t covet or steal what is not yours.

All fairly clear, and to the point, requests.

Jesus makes all of those rules a bit more simple:  Love God.  Love your neighbor as you would love yourself.

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

It would be wise to live our lives attending to other’s needs as we would our own

As far as keeping oneself  unstained by the world.  I will leave that one for you to figure out(;

I will leave you with this:  A very wise teacher once said that sometimes it is not what we do but what we need to stop doing.

Just something to think about as you move through the day.