But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not just hearers who deceive themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who has looked intently at the perfect law, the law of freedom, and has continued in it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an active doer, this person will be blessed in what he does. James 1:22-25

Imagine giving instruction to someone, telling them directly what you need them to do, but when you come to check on the progress, you find they hadn’t begun to act in response. Even if the other person could recite the instructions back to you with perfect clarity, you would still be frustrated. Instructions are given to be acted upon, not just heard or committed to memory. Reflection and confession are required to truly deal with the sin in our hearts and bring it to God in repentance. We have a daily decision to embrace our faith, not just as a title to hold but a relationship with God to be formed by.

Throughout our days and weeks, we often forget to carry our identity in Christ and fail to consider how it should shape the things we say and do. Receiving God’s Word is more than just hearing it through a sermon, book, or even reading it ourselves. As followers of Christ, receiving the Word needs to change us from the inside out. With Jesus as Lord, we follow His way over our inclinations. As we allow God to shape us and form us, we are changed to reflect Him. As we do, we live in the purpose God designed for us from the very beginning.

• How do you seek to remember your identity in Christ throughout a normal day? What makes it easy to forget?
• What does it look like to be a doer of the Word? How is that different or similar to how you live now? Where have you struggled with godly obedience?
• Pray and ask God to shape and form you to be a doer of the Word and open your eyes to the areas you are not living aligned with your stated belief in Him.