Day 298: Act on the Word

James 1:22-25

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 who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

Growing up my mom could always tell when we weren’t listening to her. It was less about how we reacted to what she was saying and more about how we acted based on what she was saying. When we acted in a way that we were not supposed to or did something and it went wrong she would always say it was because we weren’t listening, and I’d say, about 100% of the time she was right. She would say, “Everything I’m saying to you, goes in one ear and out the other.” Meaning, we acted like we never heard a word she said.

I share this because I believe that it is important for us as Christians to do more than just hear the word. We must act on it, we must do what it says. Living like Christ is more than just reading the bible, it’s living it out. We are walking, breathing bibles. How can we call ourselves Christians if we are not living by the word of God. We cannot have the word go in one ear and out the other, we must be doers of the word. We read the bible, but that’s not enough. Atheists read the bible. We must allow the word of God to take root in us, we must allow it to influence the way we live. Hearing the word of God is great, but how are we going to put it into action. The bible isn’t just some fun book to read, although it can be (read the old testament), it is a life instruction manual. It tells us how to live, and how to love. The word of God is everything we need to know how to live.

Too often we act as if reading the bible is enough. We read every morning, we pray and we’re good, we’ve spent our time with God for the day. It is so much more than that. We take the word of God with us wherever we go because it is in us. It has take root and manifested within us. We do not sit Jesus on a shelf once we are done with Him that’s not how it works. God is with us in every moment of our lives. He’s right there. We cannot read the word of God and not allow it to take root in us and change the way we live. We cannot forget the word of God as if it has no impact on us. We must be a doer who acts not a hearer who forgets.

All this to say, the word of God is meant to be lived. It is meant to influence the way we live. We cannot be just hearers of the word, we must be doers as well.

Reflection

1. Are you a hearer and a doer of the word
2. Have you had a moment in your life when you thought that reading the bible and hearing the word was enough?
3. At what point did you decide to be a doer of the word?

Prayer Time

Allow you answers to the above questions guide your prayer today. Take the time to search yourself and submit your heart to the Lord. Take the time to talk to God about allowing His word to influence the way you live.

If you’ve never made the decision to live for Christ, or you want to rededicate your life. If you want to be brought into this magnificent promise of eternity, now is the time to make that decision. If that’s you if you want to make that decision, pray this prayer with me,

“Jesus I declare that you are my Lord and Saviour who died for my sins and was raised three days later. I repent of my sins and I give my life to you. I believe in my heart that you are the true living God. I pray that you shine your  light on me and bring me out of the darkness and into your light. I love you Lord. Thank you for saving me. In Jesus name, Amen.”

If you made the choice to follow Christ, rededicate, or to submit your life to Him fully, Go to Romans 10:9-10

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

I love you so much. If you made the decision to follow Christ today, congratulations, this is the best decision you will ever make. Do not be afraid to reach out and get plugged into a church. Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 299!

Day 251: My Life and Soul Depends on It

Isaiah 55:3

“Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life.

I will make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David.”

When I read this scripture I am reminded of Romans 10:17. It reads, So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. This is where our faith lies, in the word of God, hearing his word and believing it brings us to have faith in Him and trust in not only what He can do but also who He is. He is our heavenly father. Jesus is our risen Savior. We know these things from the word of God, we were not there to witness them but we have faith and we believe that Jesus came to save us and what He did on that cross 2500 years ago is still saving souls today. In the word of God lies everything we need, our soul thrives on this beautiful book full of love letters from our father. This is why it is so very important that we hear the word of God but listen as well because as the scripture states above, in it we find life.

Listening to God, and coming to Him with open ears as explained in the scripture above is our way to life. Through His word we live, we thrive, we grow, in every way possible. We are living on borrowed breath. Everything that we are depends on God. Our lives depend on the word of God, the state of our souls depend on the word of god. The life we live is because of the word of God. I have talked to many people who view the bible as a rule book, it’s not. It’s so much more than that and way more important than being told what we cannot do. No His word is a book of love letters, it is a book of stories of who God is and what He has done, in the lives of His people and prophecies of what He will continue to do. It’s is full of wisdom and knowledge, love is the very foundation of our faith. In the bible we find not only commandments but we find how much God loves us, we get a glimpse of the magnitude of His love for us. We see how He is in constant pursuit of our hearts, we see the lengths He goes through just to make sure that we have life. To make sure that we have a relationship with Him. The word of God has life written all over it.

We are constantly looking for the secrets of life. We want to know how to survive this crazy bumpy sometimes unbearable road we are on. But I feel like God is telling us, I have the answer. You want the key to life, I got it. Just listen to me, Listen to my word, come to me with open ears and I will tell you how to obtain this everlasting life. I will guide you, I will give you a teacher. You want to know what it’s like to really live? I’ll give you a life you never thought you’d have. But first, you have to listen, come to me with yours ears and heart wide open. I have all the answers, but you gotta listen to me. It’s imperative that we listen to Him.

Through His word we find that we have an everlasting covenant with our father in Heaven, He says, all that unfailing love I promised David, yeah I want to love you the same way. I want to love you and I want you to know that I love you. God’s love is unfailing, literally it never fails. No matter what, we can always depend on His love. We can find hope in knowing that if no one else loves us, our God does and that’s better than being admired by millions.

All this to say, everything we are is because of everything He is. We are nothing without Him. Our very existence depends on Him. Allow your soul find solace in the word of God, knowing that every word written on those pages is ordained and inspired by the living God. We are because god is…

Reflection

1. Do you believe that everything you are is because of everything God is?
2. What is your initial response to what we talked about today. Be elaborate and explain.

Prayer Time

Allow your answers to the above questions guide your prayer today, have a conversation with god. Just take the time to listen and respond to Him. Whatever that looks like to you.

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 252!