Reflection on my Weekly Personal Scripture Reading

I am currently going through the book of James with a friend of mine. We're taking it section by section weekly. This week's reading was James 1:21-27. I've always liked the book of James. I find the verses straight forward and very real in terms of walking out my faith in every day life. The challenge to lay aside all filthiness and over flow of wickedness does not mince words. Reading in earlier verses about not being drawn away by our own desires thereby allowing them to give birth to sin, has me thinking about how important our thought life truly is. The verse "Bring every thought captive into the obedience of Christ" came to mind immediately. I believe that to be literal because if we examined each thought as it came into our minds to see if it lined up with the word of God we would be able to identify lies and exchange them for the truth of God. This is hard to do, I've been struggling with it all week long. As I did the rest of the verse struck me "....and receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your souls." It is humbling to see how much I need God when I examine each thought. I need His presence as much as I need to breath. I need His truth because it sets me free and allows me to think properly. I think this is what it means to be meek, to realise that my thoughts are not pure on their own but made pure by the word of God. Of course to combat the natural inclination of my thought life I must know the word, read it daily and hide it in my heart. Disciplines that are essential to a walk with my Savior. I've been working hard on memory work this week for myself and also playing Praise and Worship music because I find that if I'm playing it in the 'in between moments' of life my thoughts are dwelling on His word and my lips are busy singing praises to Him thereby not allowing to much time for idle thought. It really makes a difference. I'm enjoying this trek through James and looking forward to next weeks passage.