A ready response

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. If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. James 1:25-26 NLT

James describes from the text the Word of God as the perfect law that sets the believers free for they live their lives based on the direction it provides. This is also what David alluded to when he realized the value of living his life appropriating God’s Word guiding his decisions in life. “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple… by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward (Psalm 19:7, 11 ESV). God’s law is perfect for it is permanent and unchangeable. It applies to anyone in any time and situation. It sets man free from the bondage of sin and provides release from selfishness. One of the things that happen to a believer living by God’s Word is having the ability controlling the tongue. The effect of God’s working in the believer’s life is readily demonstrated by their speech. Our claim that we readily listen to God’s Word and obey what He says is reflected on how we tame the tongue. We deceive ourselves when we claim that we are His children and yet we do not manifest His love. We are commanded that our speech edifies others. “Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them” (Ephesians 4:29). We cannot just go through the motion of being religious for when we have a right relationship with Christ, change in our action, behavior, and speech will be visible. The Word of God provides us the map that will guide our way of life. Our ready response to His Word will lead us to love others and practice godliness for our relationship with Christ had freed us from our old sinful lives. “For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love… Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there” (Galatians 5:13, 24).

Blessings,