Disconnect Between Orthodoxy and Orthopraxy

Recently I have been thinking about the disconnect between orthodoxy and orthopraxy that often prevails within the church. James 1:22-25 convicted me of this in my own life:

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does."

Shortly after reading that scripture, I found the following entry, "Take the Initiative," in Oswald Chambers' daily devotional, My Utmost for His Highest:

"Add" means there is something we have to do. We are in danger of forgetting that we cannot do what God does, and that God will not do what we can do. We cannot save ourselves nor sanctify ourselves, God does that; but God will not give us good habits, He will not give us character, He will not make us walk aright. We have to do all that ourselves, we have to work out the salvation God has worked in. "Add" means to get into the habit of doing things, and in the initial stages it is difficult. To take the initiative is to make a beginning, to instruct yourself in the way you have to go.

Beware of the tendency of asking the way when you know it perfectly well. Take the initiative, stop hesitating, and take the first step. Be resolute when God speaks, act in faith immediately on what He says, and never revise your decisions. If you hesitate when God tells you to do a thing, you endanger your standing in grace. Take the initiative, take it yourself, take the step with your will now, make it impossible to go back. Burn your bridges behind you - "I will write that letter"; "I will pay that debt." Make the thing inevitable.

We have to get into the habit of hearkening to God about everything, to form the habit of finding out what God says. If when a crisis comes, we instinctively turn to God, we know that the habit has been formed. We have to take the initiative where we are, not where we are not.

As believers in Christ, are we simply hearers or are we doers? Are we so cautious about avoiding exhibiting legalism that we don't even pursue "good works"? We forget that hearing involves action. According to James 1:22, if we do not take action upon our hearing, we are deceiving ourselves. We should be like Samuel in 1 Samuel 3:10, who responded to the Lord, "Speak, for your servant is listening" or Mary in Luke 1:38, when she immediately answered the angel, "I am the Lord's servant, may it be to me as you have said."

May our prayer be that of Hebrews 12:1-3, that we may run with perseverance as we fix our eyes on Jesus, emulating His obedience to His father's will unto death:

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."