Delude

“But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.”  James 1:22

Delude – If James were alive today, he would be one of the world’s great consultants.  He might even be on Oprah.  People would flock to him for practical advice.  But in the end, he would tell us the same thing he wrote centuries ago.  If you don’t put into practice what you are taught, you are doing nothing more than telling yourself lies.  The gap between knowing and doing is far greater than the gap between ignorance and knowledge.  We have plenty of information.  Our problem is doing something with what we know. 

In the Bible, delusion is not about being mentally ignorant.  Delusion is about not doing what you already know.  Do you see the difference?  The Bible is about obedience, not about collecting more information.  In fact, God says that unless we obey what He has already revealed to us, we just won’t understand one more thing.  Spiritual knowledge is the result of being a doer, not the result of being a good listener.  In fact, the only “good” listener is the one who acts on what he hears.

The word paralogizomai literally means “reason alongside itself”.  “He’s just out of his mind!”  Our idiom comes pretty close to expressing the idea behind this Greek word for delusion.  It is reason that misleads.  Instead of taking me toward the truth, it directs me toward error.  But notice the connection.  If I want my mind to guide me toward truth, I must act on what I know now.  I can’t wait until I have finished the theology of the world before I take action.  If I don’t do something with what I know now, I’ll never finish the book at all.

I once heard a story about a man who wanted his son to read a book about commitment.  His son was only interested in buying a new car.  The father told him that understanding the value of commitment was far more important.  The son agreed but did nothing.  So the father said, “I’ll just leave this book with you and you decide if you will do what I am asking.”  For months it sat on the shelf.  Then one day the son picked it up and began to read.  As he turned the last page, he found a note from his father.  “Thank you, son, for making a commitment to learn this lesson.  Here is a check for your car.”  The lesson was in the action.

 Don’t let your reason get outside itself.  Do what you know to do.  When you act, the next step will come to you.