“But you must never stop looking at the perfect law that sets you free. God will bless you in everything you do, if you listen and obey, and don’t just hear and forget.”
James 1:25 Contemporary English Version
Amplifed ~ But he who looks carefully into the faultless law, the [law] of liberty, and is faithful to it and perseveres in looking into it, being not a heedless listener who forgets but an active doer [who obeys], he shall be blessed in his doing (his life of obedience)
NLT ~ But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
I think you know by now what a stickler I am for daily Bible reading. Not reading it like a book, or just to get through a yearly plan, but reading until the Holy Spirit makes a scripture alive to you. Every time we read the word, there should be according to 2 Timothy 3:16, these things touching our heart; we learn doctrine, correction, reproof or a proving (establishing what you really believe) and instruction in righteousness. The words inside our bible are living and life giving.
Jesus said apart from me you can do nothing. We try to live successful lives by knowing principles and concepts without abiding in Him. We fail to seek daily bread to be nourished and strengthened and grow frustrated when these principles and concepts don’t seem to work. Again, Jesus said apart from me you can do nothing.
How important is the reading of our Bible every day? I ask this of myself; how bad do I want to be free, whole, saved, delivered, healed, at peace and rest? Jesus said “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
There is a word I need every day that leads or keeps me in freedom. It’s the Holy Spirits job to bring to our remembrance and teach us what Jesus has said. My part is to keep the word abiding in me. The Bible says we perish and go into captivity because we forget the word. We walk around many times wanting a word from God and yet the very one who has been given to help us, who reveals the word, is the very one we neglect. It is as we look into this perfect law that the Holy Spirit breathes on this word making it alive to us.
Galatians 5:13 tells us we were called to freedom. Hebrews 2:14 tells us Jesus destroyed the power of Satan and has set free ALL who have lived a lifetime of bondage. It was for freedom that Christ has set us free BUT every freedom provided by Jesus must be received and then MUST be kept. We are told to do this by standing firm. His word will empower us to do this. As we look intently at this perfect law of liberty and do what it says, we are blessed.