Hearers and Doers

This passage that I'm reading today in James 1, is one of the first that I remember memorizing as a child. The older I get, the more it makes sense to me, and I pray that I can put it into practice more and more each day.
James 1: 22 - 25, "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 a man who looks at his face in a mirror and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it - he will be blessed in what he does".
There are many who call themselves "Christians" - they go to church on Sundays, they tithe, they do good works in the community, they spend time with their families and are well known as a "happy" family, etc. We even see this on our political scene, and many of them are not Christians as how the Bible defines Christians, but they are deceived into thinking that they are because of the appearance they give off.
This passage in James says that it is of no benefit to any of us to just read the Word, if we are not going to practice what it says. I love the way it's compared to one looking in a mirror and then forgetting what was seen, after walking away from it.
My devotional, "My Utmost For His Highest" has a passage and notes by Oswald Chambers for each day of the year. Today's is titled "Theology Alive". In his notes, he says this: "Beware of not acting upon what you see in your moments on the mount with God. If you do not obey the light, it will turn into darkness. Continually bring the truth out into actuality; work it out in every domain. If you say you are sanctified, show it. The experience must be so genuine that it is shown in the life. You may know all about the doctrine of sanctification, but are you running it out into the practical issues of your life? Every bit of your life physical, moral and spiritual, is to be judged by the standard of the Atonement".
How appropriate of a message to tie into today's passage from James! I know that I was convicted in my spirit of am I acting and living the life that I read about and blog about daily?
I pray that you too, will search your heart and ask the Lord to shed the light of the Truth. The last verse of the passage today tells us that we will be blessed in all we do, if we put into practice the power of the Word of God that we see and hear.
Blessings,
Janelle