But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. James 1:22
Can prophets learn from pagans? Do you think it’s possible for people of the world to embrace the fear of God before some Christians do? In our Lenten series, the prophet Jonah is running away from the presence of God while the pagan sailors are crying out to the gods. Jonah says he is a Hebrew and that he fears the God of Heaven, yet he’s the one running away. Instead, it is the pagans who turn toward Yahweh God scared to obey, yet they do by throwing Jonah overboard.
Perhaps we can learn something from those outside the church as well. Maybe there are ways pagans are acknowledging God and obeying him where we’ve missed entirely. They might not be crying out to God directly, but their hearts are putting his ways into practice.
James 1:22 says, “be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” It’s simply not enough to hear the word. We must fear the Lord and courageously put his words into action. Often the application from this verse is to put God’s commands into action. This is a good application but today I’m going to challenge you to look at this from a different angle. Today, I encourage you to take notice of the world around you. Take an intentional walk, around the office or around the block, to look for ways God’s values are showing up even in the pagan world. And, praise God for this right then and there.
By Yvonne Biel
