Day 13: Freedom under the Perfect Law

But you must never stop looking at the perfect law that sets you free.
God will bless you in everything you do,
if you listen and obey, and don’t just hear and forget.
(James 1:25, CEV)

Reflection

We live in a consumer culture and that culture permeates our daily life. We are consumers of food and drink, products and services. We are consumers of sports, music, and entertainment. Furthermore, when we step inside a church we become consumers of religious services.

God help the poor pastor who doesn’t realize that the people gathered before him have arrived with a consumer mentality. Will the pastor rise to the occasion and meet their expectations, or will they leave disappointed with the message they hear? Will the message that is preached make it to the parking lot, or will it be forgotten and neglected?

James addresses our consumer mentality head-on. First, he urges us to continually look to God’s word:

But you must never stop looking at the perfect law that sets you free. (James 1:25a, CEV)

James is not writing his epistle to full-time pastors. He is addressing all believers in Jesus Christ. All believers must never stop looking at the perfect law that sets [them] free. This means our Bibles should not be gathering dust on a shelf somewhere. A good Bible is a Bible that is worn, marked, and tattered through daily use.

Why is immersing ourselves in the Word—the perfect law—so important? James tells us this perfect law sets us free. Free from what?

In his epistle to the Colossians, Paul answers that question.  For he [the Father] has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:13-14, NIV)

We are set free from the dominion of Satan and our fetters of sin. Now through the redemptive work of Christ, we are living under new management—the management of a loving heavenly Father. All this happens through the cleansing power of the Word that in the person of Jesus comes to dwell among us. (See John 15:3.)

For the Word to become effective in our lives we must become more than consumers of Sunday sermons. We must become doers of the Word. Doing triggers God’s blessing.

God will bless you in everything you do, if you listen and obey, and don’t just hear and forget. (James 1:25, CEV)

Response

Lord God, help me to genuinely value your Word. I want to be a doer of your Word by applying what I hear and read. Lord Jesus, I want to know your Word experientially in my day-to-day life. Her my prayer. Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law (Psalm 119:18).  Amen.

New from David Kitz.

To view further details or purchase click here.