Tonight my Life Group studied James 1:19-27. Here are my takeaways:
- The benefit of listening (v.19) is that you gain wisdom from seeing the issue being discussed from a perspective other than your own.
- The Bible doesn’t say it’s wrong to get angry, it just says to be slow to get angry (v.19). There are righteous and unrighteous expressions of anger.
- Holiness is my personal responsibility. Verse 21 says “…get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives…” and verse 27 says I must refuse to let myself be corrupted by the world. I am responsible for what I have control over.
- God’s Word: We’re to live it, not just learn it (v.22).
- A mirror informs us what we ought to do (vv.23-34). For example, if we look into it and see that our face is dirty, the mirror informs us we ought to wash up. In the same way, God’s Word informs us how we ought to live. When we read and see an area of our life that’s morally dirty, the Bible informs us we ought to wash up.
- Sometimes people don’t act on God’s Word because it’s easier to follow the desires of the flesh than it is to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit (v.22).
- God knew it would be hard for us to put what we learn into practice. That’s why he gave an incentive to obey (v.25 says when we do what the Bible says “…then God will bless you…”).