“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass; For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” James 1:22-25
Today’s Christian Daily Devotional
My husband is a personal trainer. Not to be insensitive, but it is a sad irony for to me to see a fat personal trainer. To be a certified trainer, you must take specialized courses on weight training and nutritional planning. It is fair to expect that when one takes the time to invest in these credentials and an education, they should also have the body to back it up. (There are certain exceptions like extreme medical conditions.) My point is—it is hard to take a person seriously if their actions don’t back up their words. It does not matter how much a person claims to “know”, either. Their commitment to their beliefs lies in their actions and choices. This same principal is explained to believers in Christ in James 1:22-25. How many “Christians” have you encountered that had advise on how to live with victory, yet they themselves had NONE? The word of God is powerful. But, the power of it does not lie on the pages of a book that gets read a few times a year. The power of it is expressed when real people take those words and apply the principals to their everyday life. That is how the Word of God changes people! The word read without action is: DEAD. If you were to read ALLURE magazine, do you think just by reading an article on updo’s (for hair) that your hair will just magically form into an updo? No! You must take the instructions from that magazine and apply the principals to your own hair—on your own! The Bible has the power to change your life when you do your part—start following the instructions and you’ll start seeing change. Until then, it is just another coffee table decoration.
“Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for sending us your word. I know that it is the very instructions from God for my life. Sometimes, because it is so common and easy to get a hold of, I don’t treasure it like the jewel that it is. I repent of this. Your Word has the power to take all of my personal issues and help me work through them. I have been wasting my time seeking advise from well meaning (but flawed) friends and family. In reality, they are human just like me, and they do not have the supernatural wisdom that your Word provides. Lord, help me to treasure your words, as they will light my path. I don’t want to just cling to the Bible when things are rough; I want to learn from it when things are good as well. This kind of constant dependence is what is going to give me a life that I do not see many people who love you living—a life of victory. In Jesus’ precious name, help me to honor the Word of God to love it, to understand it, to weave the principals of it into my daily life so I can be a blessing to my family and my community, Amen.”