DO IT, OR KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT

SLOTH

From Seven Deadly Sins, by Daniel Rice
Charcoal on Paper - 18 x 24

I have been reading the book of James lately and he is pretty direct about what people say and do. We all say one thing and do another, deceiving ourselves. Actually James is a lot more polite than the heading of this entry, but he couldn't have been more clear.

PURE RELIGION, and THE PERFECT LAW OF LIBERTY, as James calls it, are the only things in which God is interested, all else is just as false as any other religion that fails in these areas"

"If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. [because] Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:26-27

Bridling your tongue means more than just not saying cuss words or gossiping. It must by necessity also include all the foolish religious boasting of which we are all so guilty. As they say, action speaks louder than words. Our words should harmonize the truth about our lives.

This, my friends, is what the Christian faith is about - it's about DOING IT, not just saying it. What you say you believe is meaningless without action. So, DO IT, or just be quiet about what you SAY you believe. Truth is, only what you do is proof of your faith. Let your life be your argument, because only your actions define your truest beliefs;"

Take time to unpack James' statement and don't just take it at face value. There is a lot more to his words than meets the eye, but they are hidden from the casual observer and the shallow religionist. If his words were true in his own day they are equally true today. God and his words do not change. He is the same today as he was 2,000 years ago. Take time to think about what the Bible is saying. Your discoveries will surprise you.

The paradox is this: the more we obey, the more we see our disobedience. The more we do, the more we see what we lack.

We seek to see the disparity between the sublime and our own falseness, because it is in seeking the One who is perfect that we become sanctified in our daily lives.

No one can ever be justified who continually justifies themselves, neither worldly-sinner nor religious-sinner, because . . . by so doing we shrink into the shadows and fade from the true light of reality. It is only in facing the burning light whose presence and reality condemns our falseness that we begin to become light; but who is sufficient for such suffering

Yet, this is what grace is all about - facing the light that destroys and gives life in the same instant. This is what makes faith in Jesus different than all else. He allows no false hopes. He admits no false gods. He affirms no religious platitudes. Only faith that becomes action will suffice, for until the truth we claim becomes tangible and palpable it can never be anything more than a lovely but meaningless dream. The irony is that, in our facing what we are, we have hope for transformation, and we experience joy in looking forward to the hour when all our falseness will be finally and fully replaced by his infinite goodness and perfect love. All our actions will be just like his. One day, there will be no difference between what we say we believe and what we live out in our everyday lives. Until that day, it is very important that we practice matching our words with our deeds. Much of this comes to us as we imitate the actions of our Heavenly Father. The reality of our faith is not formed in us in an instant or over night. The reality of our faith materializes in our lives only by conscious and constant practice. So, let's encourage each other to DO the faith, to LIVE OUT its reality, and not merely talk about it.