ingesting the bread

James 1:22 says this:
"Do not merely listen to the world, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."

i find myself thinking of many in the American 'church,' people who go to church every Sunday, but don't think about God during the week. women who wear skimpy outfits (even to church) and men who condone it. people who are smiley in the pews, but who will swear and yell all the way home. people who have their Bible on their lap on Sunday, but live immoral lives at home. people who claim they've been Christians for years, but enjoy raunchy t.v. like South Park or American Dad or Desperate Housewives, or have a live-in boyfriend, or are eating themselves into obesity, or excuse homosexuality, or cheat in their work or on their taxes...
the picture isn't consistent.
it's a huge problem.

James 2:14, 17 continue on:
"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? ... faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."

works do not save you, but they are EVIDENCE of being saved. if someone claims to be something, we look for evidence to back him up. if he says, 'i am the king of England,' we look for evidence of that. if there is none, we dismiss him as a liar.
same with Christianity. 
the world is looking intently at Christians, and when we live in ways that oppose the Bible, they deem us liars and dismiss Christianity. i can't tell you the number of times i have talked about Christianity with someone and they have said they reject Christianity because they knew someone in their past who claimed Christianity but acted like a jerk.
often, that can come from hearing the word, but not doing what it says.
don't deceive yourself. are you a doer, or just a hearer? do you flippantly claim to be a Christian, but don't really know what that means, or don't really care? i've often encountered people who quickly say they're Christians, but are clearly uncomfortable with the subject and don't want to talk further. seems like a red flag. and i have found later that their lifestyle is one that has no regard for Christ.

imagine sitting down for lunch with someone. the food came and you both started eating. what would you think if after chewing every bite, your friend spat it out on the ground? 
i don't know about you, but i would think, incredulously, 'what are you doing?! you're not really eating!' 
in order for food to do any substantial good to our bodies, it must be swallowed. it must be ingested and absorbed into our tissues.
the Bible refers to God's word as bread. Jesus also called Himself the Bread of Life (John 6:35). as Christians, we must absorb what God says and who He is into our lives. it changes us.
if you're no different than the day you claimed Jesus as Lord, then there is something wrong.
have you really INGESTED the bread?

"Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you... Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you." James 1:21, 4:7-8a