Posted by 90 Days of Prayer Day Sixty-Two
James 1:25
“…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.”
I love long walks in the woods, and standing on a high place seeing mountains and valleys, spending time sitting quietly. Observing animals in their natural environment always refreshes me.
My walks visiting God’s natural created order, enables me to see God and His purpose with great clarity. Everything I observe lives and grows freely just as it was designed, It’s for this reason I return again and again.
God’s Word Refreshes and Restores
Everything about the natural order of things spells freedom. Freedom is in your DNA, you are designed to walk and think freely together with God. God’s Word has power to set you free from anything. It enables you to return to the presence of God, to be refreshed and regain your bearings when you sense you’ve gotten off track.
David had to be thinking along these lines when he wrote; “The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul” (Psalm 19:7). The word for refreshing in this passage means to “bring back,” “to return,” as well as to “restore” and “refresh” (see also Psalm 23). As the deer returns to the water brook, you too will return to be refreshed satisfied and restored by God’s perfect Word.
God’s Word is Liberating
Jesus in John 8:32 says “you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” This “knowing” is an unfolding of the truth that comes by both revelation and experience from walking in it. In James 1:22-25 the apostle makes the same point, that knowing comes by doing those things that have been revealed to you.
Since much experience is gained by practice; it stands to reason that you would be paying very close attention to how you apply God’s written Word (that gives freedom) to your life.
“Looks intently” in verse twenty-five carries the idea of a person stooping over to get a better look at something. If you considered something to be very important, you would naturally invest the time and effort to examine it more carefully.
Make God’s Liberating Word Your Priority
If you will make God’s Word a high priority in your life, continually looking into this “perfect law that gives freedom,” James says you will be blessed. If you take God’s written instructions as your core values, and are committed to practicing them in your daily routines, you will come to understand the truth and that truth will absolutely set you free to walk with God as you are designed to!
It is faith building to know that the Holy Spirit helps you to study and practice God’s perfect Word, to bring increased freedom into your life. This is how you live the victorious Christian Life that the New Testament describes.
Look intently into God’s perfect law that brings freedom, keep His Word in your thoughts, speak about them to others, experience increased freedom as you practice them, Live in the liberating power of God’s purpose for you, and Be Encouraged! – JSP
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