James 1:22-25

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but king it- he will be messed in what he does.

PARAPHRASE
Don't just hear the instruction, do what the instructions say. If you listen only and never do, it's pointless. Going to a lecture for lecture sake. A class that's all lecture and not hands on doesn't help information to stick If you be a doer, Gd will bless your doing.

EMPHASIS
listen- implies instruction being given and implies understanding of the instruction; why would someone do?

yourselves- you are not being deceived by Satan, you are not deceiving your brethren, you are deceiving you.

the word- the Bible, Jesus and the Holy Spirit

looks- seeing, identifying, searching

his- deceive yourself

face- the 1st thing people see. you should be easily identifiable as a follower of Christ on 1st appearance.

after- afterwards, after the "training" teaching, searching is over, meaning one should be able to easily recollect.

himself- looking at his own being, not anyone else, how more so he should remember

away- he leaves, he moves away from the "source" should he move, I wonder?

intently- with purpose

perfect law- should be looking at this, not the mirror and not your face

continues- growing within Christ, listen, doing, it's all continuous, it never ends, s, repetition of simply constant growth

do- do the continuous

he- the revelation, conviction, given to him by Gd

heard- the teaching

will- definitely is going to happen

what- must do

does- the doing is blessed, not the listening

APPLY
I don't think I'm a doer. If I am a doer, I don't think I'm doing up to my maximum potential. However, I know a major problem is, I don't know what to do.


PRAYER
Lord, reveal to me how I can do all that my potential would allow me to do. I know and I feel I can do more, but I don't know where or how, please show me.