James 1:25 (NLT)
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.
Yogi Berra once said, “You can see a lot by looking!” Many times we read the Bible as a way to check off that spiritual “box,” but we don’t really focus on what we are reading. James urges us to “look intently” – to focus – rather than to look casually. It is only then that the Spirit of Truth will begin to illuminate the things of God that we so desperately need to learn (John 16:13).
James’ next statement seems contradictory to our natural self: a law can lead to freedom? Indeed! God’s Word frees us from the bondage of sin. It frees us to live in obedience to Christ. And one day, it will free us from all of the death and destruction and heartache of this fallen world. Oh, what a glorious Law this Word of God is!
Finally, we must consider the result of looking intently into God’s Word and then doing what it commands us to do: we will be blessed in those endeavors! Doing life God’s way will always result in blessings. Some are external, some are internal, but all are eternal. With every step of obedience you are storing up treasures in Heaven (Matthew 6:20), and every one of them will make our earthly obedience more than worthwhile.
So … take a good look … and act on what you see.
