James 1:22-25 KJV
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.
As a child did you learn a little story hand/finger exercise that went like this, “here is the church, here is the steeple, open the door and see all the people!
When I ride by little churches in the beautiful countryside I notice many not used except for historical interest and I often wonder, where are all the people?
Do you ever question your thoughts, actions and motives in the light of deceiving yourself by not doing what you heard from the Word of God, called the Bible? (James 1 vs 22)
And, hopefully you passed the test and then stood boldly with hands outreached to receive your blessings for deeds done! (James 1 vs 25)
thedailylily.com 
What a lovely picture by the artist! It looks like the church was easily accessible from roads that wrap around it…so that would be an open door of access.
I enjoyed the ‘hand’ presentation of “here is the church” by the youth in the video. The three sets of live hands and fingers seemed to say that a church is not just a building or structure, but is made up of connected hands and fingers doing the work/deeds. It reminded me of your scripture, Sara, “he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work,”.
Debi, your response reminds me of another little song some of us may have learned in our little churches.
Oh, be careful, little eyes, what you see,
Oh, be careful, little eyes, what you see.
There’s a Father up above looking down in tender love,
Oh, be careful, little eyes, what you see.
2
Oh, be careful, little ears, what you hear,
Oh, be careful, little ears, what you hear.
There’s a Father up above looking down in tender love,
Oh, be careful, little ears, what you hear.
3
Oh, be careful, little tongue, what you say,
Oh, be careful, little tongue, what you say.
There’s a Father up above looking down in tender love,
Oh, be careful, little tongue, what you say.
4
Oh, be careful, little hands, what you do,
Oh, be careful, little hands, what you do.
There’s a Father up above looking down in tender love,
Oh, be careful, little hands, what you do.
5
Oh, be careful, little feet, where you go,
Oh, be careful, little feet, where you go.
There’s a Father up above looking down in tender love,
Oh, be careful, little feet, where you go.
Sing along… https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/c/157
“Do you ever question your thoughts, actions and motives in the light of deceiving yourself by not doing what you heard from the Word of God, called the Bible?” (James 1 vs 22)
I hate to admit my truth but the answer is yes I do and the results often come up in the negative.
I often encourage myself with the words the Apostle Paul spoke to Timothy to encourage him to never neglect the spiritual gift he has been giving.
“Teach these things and insist that everyone learn them. Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. Until I get there, focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them.
“Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you. Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress. Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you.”
1 Timothy 4:11-16 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/1ti.4.14-16.NLT
I do remember the song and doing the actions with hands in the video. Thanks for sharing! 🙂 The footnotes for 1 Timothy 4:16 (NLT) says: “We must be on constant guard against falling into sin that can so easily destroy us. Yet we must watch what we believe (‘teaching’) just as closely. Wrong beliefs can quickly lead us into sin and heresy. We should be on guard against those who would persuade us that how we live is more important than what we believe. We should keep a close watch on both, staying true to the faith.”
Reading Tammy’s footnotes gives us a stark warning of belief in and living of the teachings of Jesus, the Christ. One of the biggest setbacks of this type of life may be how well do we know these teachings? Where are we getting our info-living Manuel from? Do we find our name recorded in the Book of Judges where our belief system enters into the data of doing what feels and seems right in our own eyes?
I agree with others these old small churches (buildings)with a steeple often hold warm, sacred and beauty in our eyes and their teachings in out hearts. Yet, today when we say open the door and see all the people we might need to update and sing open the door and see there are no people.
That might be ok but where do all the people go today to learn and share their faith in belief and action while staying flexible to knowing as we learn with understanding like a few of us are doing here? If we are confronted with a truth or asked to devote time to a thorough study from the Bible where we can be challenged and accountable to commitment do we use the age old Biblical stunt, I’m to busy!
The Cost of Following Jesus…
Luke 9: 57 “As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
59 He said to another man, “Follow me.”
But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”
62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
Absolutely gorgeous drawing of the church! I think the older looking churches are so pretty. 🙂
Tammy, do you have footnotes for this scripture?
“There is no longer Jew or Greek; there is no longer slave or free; there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.”
—Galatians 3:28-29 (NRSV)
Yes, I do have the footnotes for these verses. (NLT) 3:28 “Some Jewish males greeted each new day by praying, ‘Lord, I thank you that I am not a Gentile, a slave, or a woman.’ The role of women was enhanced by Christianity. Faith in Christ transcends these differences and makes all believers one in Christ. Make sure you do not impose distinctions that Christ has removed. Because all believers are his heirs, no one is more privileged than or superior to anyone else. It’s our natural inclination to feel uncomfortable around people who are different from us and to gravitate toward those who are similar to us. But when we allow our differences to separate us from our fellow believers, we are disregarding clear biblical teaching. Make a point to seek out and appreciate people who are not just like you and your friends. You may find that you have a lot in common with them.” 3:29 ” The original promise to Abraham was intended for the whole world, not just for Abraham’s physical descendants (see Genesis 12:3). All believers participate in this promise and are blessed as children of Abraham.”
WOW! Great News in the footnotes! So timely! We have so many divisions in the world today that’s it’s refreshing to hear this reminder that makes a perfect button hole for John 3:16 don’t you think?
Absolutely! The Bible says that “God so loved the WORLD…….not some of the world or just a fraction of the world but the whole WORLD, every person.
“The Cost of Following Jesus…”
Your examples from scripture, Sara, seem to indicate an illustration of priorities. The scripture, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” (Matt 6:33). This looks like an indicator of what God wants for us if we want to put Him at the top of our priority list.
I think your song, “Oh Be Careful”, Sara, gives a warning that ‘seeking’ is more than just thinking about; giving mental ascent to; planning to one day; hearing but not applying as you quoted above, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” The song tells us to “be careful”. When I looked up a definition of that it said, “make sure of doing something.” So I interpret that as the need to endeavor daily to use the gifts He has given so my eyes, ears, tongue, hands, feet are active (not passive) to find out what His priority is for them and put it into practical application…and not make excuses. If I make excuses then I think I would be deceiving myself as you wrote about from James 1 vs 22.