James 1:21-26

Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

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.

If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

Devotional

Believers are to put off sin, wickedness from evil desires and intent, that impedes their spiritual hearing. A professing believers entire personality should be characterized by being a “doer”. Unless a professing Christian acts promptly after they hear the Word, they will forget the changes and improvements that their reflection showed them they needed to make. Believers are enabled by the Spirit to keep a code of conduct to obey and they are enabled by the Holy Spirit to keep liberty and genuine freedom from sin. As the Holy Spirit applies the principles of Scripture to a believers heart, they are freed from sin’s bondage and enabled to obey God.

Purity of heart is often revealed by a controlled and proper speech and the most spotless kind of religious faith is measured by compassionate love. Those without parents or husbands are an especially needy segment of the church, because they are unable to reciprocate in any way, caring for them clearly demonstrates true, sacrificial, Christian love. Believers are to remove themselves from the evil world system.