DO WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the Word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

James 1:22-25

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

I didn’t plan it like this. Really, I didn’t.

You see, today is my 61^st birthday and as I have been doing every day since this new year started, I am sitting down to a blank Microsoft Word document and trying to form something tangible in order to spiritually feed a reader. It’s an exercise in faith and trust daily as I place my hope in the Lord to give me the right words to speak through the Holy Spirit.

So why do I do it? Why do I invest time in writing devotions, even after long work days or holidays or even on my birthday?

Because I love you, the reader, more than I love my time, and so does the Lord. Or rather, the Lord loves you and so He uses me as an instrument of love to write to you on His time, not mine. And the Lord’s time is always any time that He provides us. He grants us time and then expects us to be good stewards of it.

And so I write and make positive use of my time with the hope of using the words the Lord grants to make disciples and expand the kingdom of God here on earth.

Now, I want to make sure it’s clear that this is not a one way affair. It isn’t that the Lord provides His scriptures and then expounds on those scriptures through teachers like myself for people to read or listen to those words and then carry on as if there is no change needed. As we look at our passage for today, it’s crystal clear the Lord expects a response to His holy Word when it is received.

Note that a person who just hears the word and leaves it at that only deceives themselves, thinking just listening to God’s word is enough. They are likened to someone who looks at themselves in the mirror but then turns away from the reflection and forgets what they just saw. It was as if they hadn’t looked in the mirror at all.

Conversely, a person who hears the Word of the Lord and then does what it says, that person not forget what they heard and as a result, will be blessed in what they do. It’s obvious that this is the way the Lord wants all of us to live, obedient to His Word and then immersed in the blessings experienced when we are walking on the pathway of righteousness He sets forth.

Jesus said, “Man shall not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). He perfectly showed us this as He lived His own life, and so as Christians today, we’re to follow His lead, not just hearing and reading the Bible but actually doing what it says. It’s what I strive for each and every day and I pray it’s your goal as well.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com