Whoever looks intently into the perfect law . . . not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. (James 1:25)
Expanded Passage: James 1:23-25
A close friend of mine once said, “Sometimes we don’t have to know the whole plan; we are called to just do the next right thing.” And how do we know it’s the next right thing to do? Do we go by our gut? By our friends’ opinions? By what benefits us most? Do we pray first? At first, these questions swirled in my head. I wanted to know my actions were the next right thing. Then I discovered the answer was right in front of me—being in the Word and applying it to my life.
The Scriptures are a revelation of God’s love and an invitation into God’s way of making all things new. We are invited to learn and grasp the way to live through the witness of faithfulness found in the library of the Bible. Consider what happens when we take the time to sit with it, listen to it, and do what it says. What invitations does God extend through the Scriptures that we would otherwise miss, because we hadn’t considered the possibilities it creates for our lives? Through God’s character, revealed in Scripture, we’re invited to an abundant life, where (even in our uncertainty) we can be in tune with where the Holy Spirit is leading and “be blessed” by a knowledge of God that keeps us curious and attentive.
Ask God: What in Scripture would you have me remember today?
Sarah Linder is a lay minister for congregational care at College Wesleyan Church (IN) and a stay-at-home mom of three boys.
© 2024 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
