Why Walk Alone

If you’ve ever felt the uncomfortable gap between what you believe and what you actually do, James 1:19-27 meets you right there.

We walk through a short section of Scripture that starts with painfully simple advice and then presses it into daily life, be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. Not because anger is always “wrong,” but because wrath can flip a switch in us that shuts off empathy and turns self-control into an afterthought.

From there, James delivers the line that won’t let us hide behind good intentions, be doers of the word, not hearers only. We talk about what that looks like in real life, from serving quietly to showing kindness in concrete ways, and why the world often responds more to a lived sermon than to a spoken one. We also wrestle with the mirror image James uses, the way we can glance at truth and then walk away unchanged.

Finally, we sit with James’ blunt warning about the tongue and his view of "religion” - caring for the vulnerable while keeping ourselves unspotted by the world.

If you’re searching for a Bible study devotional, practical Christian living guidance, or a straightforward call to spiritual maturity, this conversation is for you.

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James 1:19-27 - King James Version
19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:

24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.

27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

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Matthew 7:21 - King James Version
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

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Transcript

Welcome And Purpose

SPEAKER_00 0:06

Welcome to the Christ Quarter. Thank you for taking a quarter of an hour out of this day to endure the presence of Christ and the words of Christ. Today let's read a section of Scripture, discuss what it means, and also how it applies to our lives. I hope that God will speak to you through my words and more importantly through his scriptures, and will bring you closer to Him. I am blessed and thankful to have this time to speak with you, and I thank you so much for being with me here today. The scriptures for today are James chapter one, verses nineteen through twenty seven. The King James Version reads as follows. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath, for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and simple fluidity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass, for he beholdeth himself and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. If any man among you seem to be religious and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is in vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. Then I V says it this way. My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this. Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 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 someone who looks at his face in a mirror and after looking at himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues in it, not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it, they will be blessed in what they do. Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 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. Let us pray. Lord, we thank you for this day. We thank you for the freedom and the ability to discuss your word and enjoy your presence. Help us to understand your word and your will for our daily lives more fully. We ask that you bless this discussion of your word, that it will speak to someone who needs to hear from you. We ask that you use these words to bring someone closer to you, and that you will touch their hearts to love others through action in your name. That each of us will do something to show love to their neighbor in action as well as in word. That each of us will do our best to represent you to the world. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. The verses today are a kick. James starts off by immediately telling us to listen more, speak less, and to not get really angry. These are sound bits of advice that we would all do well to take to heart, but take it in the context of James' letter, I feel as though he is preparing us for what he is about to say. His message probably ruffled a few feathers back then, and I'm sure it ruffles a lot of feathers today. Some of you are hearing these verses altogether for the first time. Maybe you're hearing them and actually getting the message for the first time. Or maybe you just need a reminder of what God is saying to us here. Regardless, let's get into God's word for us and do our best to understand how it applies to our lives. Just don't get offended if there's a kick in there. Let's get right to it. Verse 19 tells us to, in my words, speak less, listen more, and to not get extremely angry. When we are that angry, we are very close to doing or saying something that will disrespect ourselves or someone else or will harm someone. We all get angry at times, and that's okay. But when our anger reaches the level of wrath, we should be extra careful not to speak out or act out. It seems to mean that wrathfulness or being angry turns off part of our brain, part of our empathy for others, and most of our inhibitions. People who have destroyed property or harmed others are sometimes shocked at what they did, things they would never have done in a calm state, things they didn't think themselves capable of doing at all. But when anger grows hotter and hotter and turns into wrath, we almost become unrecognizable. We should consciously avoid situations that make us angry, especially when it comes to strangers. Strangers who act out against us or act in strange or dangerous ways are, in my opinion, sometimes God's tests. Tests of our growth and our patience. I pray we all pass our tests every time, at least going forward. In verse 22, James delivers a kick. In my paraphrase, he is saying, If you hear the word of God but do not act on it, you are deceiving yourself. If the word of God has a home in your heart, you will do something to help others. You will feed someone, read the Bible to someone, anonymously give clothes to a needy family or person. You will visit someone and show them the kindness and mercy of God's church, God's people. The world doesn't want to hear a sermon. They want to see one. They want to see this far away God that they've heard of in action, in action in you. Matthew chapter 7, verse 21 says that not everyone that says, Lord, Lord, will enter into heaven, but those that do the will of the Father in heaven. Is this a requirement of being saved and heaven bound? No. If you cannot act, then you cannot act. I sometimes think about the thief on the cross, though. In the short time he had before he died, I believe he would have acted in his new faith had he been able. Most of us are able and are without excuse. If you count yourself among God's congregation but are not taking action to grow God's church or to help someone in some way, I suggest that you talk with God and ask him what he would have you do. Ask him what he has gifted you with, what are your unique gifts, and what action should you take. Verse 26 contains another kick. If you are outwardly good and Christian and behaving in the way a Christian should, but your tongue is wild and unrestrained, you are deceiving your own heart. We must show the fruit of our faith through action, but we must also control how we behave and what we say. This goes back to verse 19. Again, in my words, be slow to speak, slow to wrath, and slow to anger. I included both anger and wrath here because anger leads to wrath. We need to be self-aware on both sides. If we do all the right things outwardly, but are verbally abusive, angry, and perhaps even physically abusive, then we are heading for spanking. The heart of this person has issues. They are chasing people away from God, and God will correct them. On the other hand, if we are true in our faith and have our tongue and behavior firmly in hand, but we are ignoring our brothers and sisters, we are confused and missing out. We may be on our way to heaven, but why walk alone? Spread the word of God, the good news, to others and fellowship with them. Not only will you immeasurably improve their lives, but you will also improve your own, and God will smile on you for being a good and faithful servant. That concludes our scripture discussion for today. Thank you for spending this time with me talking about, learning about, and enjoying Christ. It is my hope that God has used my words to touch you today and has brought you closer to Him. Let us pray. Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.