“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. – James 1:22-25
You may have heard Christmas is coming soon. Yet, remember to keep your eyes fixed on the good news in all that you do.
Be careful when you glance and where you rest your gaze. With so many distractions competing for our passing days, it’s no wonder we soon forget the word we are called to do. Too often our glance lingers on things shiny and new only to leave our gaze bereft, troubled and confused – even on Christmas Day!
It’s almost as if we’re being led astray, conditioned to look towards worldly things instead of the beautiful, good, and true – hooked to trivialities just long enough to lose our memory of the good news.
The temptations are as old as man. Pride, envy, wrath, lust. Greed, sloth and gluttony, too. They’ve all been repackaged to be so palatable that their regular use almost always comes with some socially acceptable excuse.
We can feast on the fattened calf to celebrate any lazy, ho-hum day. We can buy and sell almost anything for a price. We can undress and ogle men and women for little to no pay. We can rage against the political opposition while coveting that opposition’s vice. We can dull our senses with potions, powders, and poisons – to spare us the sufferings we take as much as we need! We can entertain ourselves to death with conspiracy, conjecture, controversy and comedy. We can do all this and still hold ourselves in the highest esteem!
Isn’t that, after all, what it means to be free?
Isn't liberty the mere freedom to choose anything under the sun? Isn’t liberty the license to do whatever our glances may want? Isn’t liberty the right to follow any star no matter how far it leads us astray? Isn’t liberty the law that allows each and every man to do what he wills each and every day?
Isn’t liberty an excuse to merely glance at the miracle of Christmas, as we laze in our gaze as though it’s just another lazy, ho-hum day?
This Christmas, be careful when you glance and where you rest your gaze. Look away before diversions divide and bind you to the wayward things your eye so carelessly craves. Look away from temptation before double-minded doubt splits your soul in two. Look away before forgetful distraction invites inaction, robbing you of the good news you once heard, yet now act as if you never knew.
This Christmas, gaze into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere in the assurance of things hoped for and unseen – that Christ Jesus is the only Star that could ever set men free!
Gaze into the Nativity so that God’s gift of grace and truth may be redeemed in your heart. Gaze into Joseph and Mary gazing at Immanuel, that you may find freedom in the obedience of playing your part.
Gaze into the mystery of the true myth until the Word is always in your sights – your eyes fixed and your soul stitched by the gift of the only Son begotten by the Father of lights.
You may have heard Christmas is coming soon. Yet, remember to keep your eyes fixed to the good news in all that you do.
And a Merry Christmas to all of you!
Joey Clark is a native Alabamian and is currently the host of the radio program News and Views on News Talk 93.1 FM WACV out of Montgomery, AL, M-F 12 p.m. - 3 p.m. His column appears every Tuesday in 1819 News. To contact Joey for media or speaking appearances, as well as any feedback, please email [email protected]. Follow him on X @TheJoeyClark or watch the radio show livestream.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to [email protected].
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