James 1:18–25

¹⁸God chose to give us new birth through the message of truth. He wanted us to be the first and best of everything he created.

Listen to the Word and Do What It Says

¹⁹My dear brothers and sisters, pay attention to what I say. Everyone should be quick to listen. But they should be slow to speak. They should be slow to get angry. ²⁰A man’s anger doesn’t produce the kind of life God wants.

²¹So get rid of everything that is dirty and sinful. Get rid of the evil that is all around us. Don’t be too proud to accept the word that is planted in you. It can save you.

²²Don’t just listen to the word. You fool yourselves if you do that. You must do what it says.

²³Suppose you listen to the word but don’t do what it says. Then you are like a man who looks at his face in a mirror. ²⁴After looking at himself, he leaves. Right away he forgets what he looks like.

²⁵But suppose you take a good look at the perfect law that gives freedom. You keep looking at it. You don’t forget what you’ve heard, but you do what the law says. Then you will be blessed in what you do.