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Last Sunday, I tried to make the case that when James calls us to be “Doers” of the Word, he is calling us to be “Doers” of the Gospel. In other words, we shouldn’t create a disconnect between the sweet saving Gospel we believe (James 1:18, 21) and the sweet saving Gospel we obey (James 1:22-25).*

James is not serving us Sweet Gospel Ice Cream and then following that sweetness with a second course of bitter (but necessary) “Obedience” Salad.

We actually are saved by the Gospel and “Do” the Gospel (live it out) in our bodies (ears, mouths, emotions, etc.), toward others (specifically the needy (James 1:27)), and toward the world (James 1:27).

But…I Don’t Feel Like “Doing”?

While it is true that “Doing” the Gospel in our lives is partaking in the sweet Gospel, it is also true that we don’t experience a 24/7 desire to do the Gospel.

This lack of desire can express itself in various ways.

  • We simply don’t want to do what we are called to do.
  • We do what we are called to do but with a grumbling heart.
  • We do what we are called to do but with impure motives. In this case, Jesus and His Gospel is not the reason for our “doing.” And, if Jesus is not the reason for our behavior, then we are not actually doing the Gospel.

Many times doing the Gospel feels like drudgery. In these moments the Gospel does not seem sweet, and obedience to the Gospel in our lives feels like a burden.

What to do, what to do?

So, what should you do when you don’t feel like doing the Gospel? What should you do when you don’t desire to live out the Gospel? When:

  • …you want to take a day off from holding your tongue.
  • …emotional control seems arbitrary.
  • …you have no compassion for the needy.
  • …the world seems to have all the answers and God’s Word seems blurry.

What to do...

The answer is simple. Do what is right.

#1 Pray

If anyone lacks the wisdom of desire for living out the Gospel, let him ask God who gives generously and without reproach (James 1:5). It is always right to go to God with your troubles, especially your troubles to feel like obeying God. If you don’t feel like obeying, the One who needs to hear your complaint more than any person is the God who hears your prayers.

#2 Remember

It is probably true that these misplaced feelings are rooted in Gospel sickness. There is something about Jesus that you are forgetting (or not understanding). Maybe you have forgotten that He is your Lord. Maybe you have forgotten that he dragged you out of the mud and made you a prince or princess in this kingdom. Maybe you have forgotten that obedience to Him is actually good and good for you. Maybe you have forgotten that a “hearer” of the Gospel who likes the idea of Jesus more than obeying Jesus, is “self-deceived” (James 1:22). 

#3 Obey

We too often allow our feelings to control our behavior. For example, we might not go to church because we don’t feel close to God or feel like worshiping. And in doing so, we remain distant from the very God we need. Will our feelings be so powerful in us that we allow them to redefine what is good and right and true?

The simple answer for anyone who does not feel like doing the Gospel is that obedience is always the best option. If you don’t feel like doing, do what is right. 

And, fear no hypocrisy if you’ve brought your slump to God. He knows your heart. It is better to pursue obedience with a surrendered heart to God, even if the good feelings are absent, than to walk away and allow your feelings to win.

So, when doing feels off, “be doers of the word” (James 1:22).

It is better to be a doer filled with drudgery, but prayerfully dependent on God, than to deceive yourself by hearing only.

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*James says that we both are given a new birth (James 1:18) by a Gospel word, so the Gospel is already planted in believers when they believed in Jesus (James 1:21). In the same breath, James says that we are to “be doers” of the Gospel word in our lives (James 1:22-25).