Doers of the Word



     It's that time of year again. The time where we look over the past year and make "resolutions" for the New Year. We are gifted a fresh start and it is a good time to focus on new disciplines or renewed focus on older disciplines. 

    As followers of Jesus, I hope that the importance of reading the Word of God is already a priority for each of us. If not, that is a great resolution for the new year! We cannot understand or know God and His great love for us apart from the Bible. His Word is living and powerful. It will cut to the bones and marrow. It is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. God's Word will bring light to your soul and you will never be the same. There is no substitute for spending time in the Word and allowing the Holy Spirit to work in your heart through it. (If reading is difficult for you, there are many wonderful audio versions available -- check them out!)

    One of my areas of renewed focus this year comes from the book of James. James clearly directs us in James 1:22 to be "doers of the Word and not hearers only." That same verse tells us that we deceive ourselves when we hear the word, but do not do what it commands us. It is so easy to read the Word of God and be struck with awe over what God has said and done. We nod our head at the commands, but actually putting into practice what He says is a different story. That part is hard! 

 For example, we read that we are not to show favoritism for the well-dressed or wealthy (James 2). Of course we should not do that! But do we actually implement God's love for the dirty, stinky, snotty-nosed stranger that we pass by? We are filled with excuses about how that person got in that condition and our society has terrified us with horror stories. God is more powerful than the drugs, weapons, alcohol, or any other force that may be in control of that person. Do we really believe that? If we believe that, than the answer is clear. Our job is to obey. 

    Or, we read that we are to control our tongues. We read about the dangers of an unbridled tongue and nod our heads. Of course we should not speak words that are destructive and filled with gossip! But, the next time that opportunity rises, we are fast to jump right in to that conversation. It is so easy to forget the words we recently read. We repeat this cycle over and over in multiple areas of our lives. 

    We can't change this on our own. But we have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit, who will guide us and strengthen us in all things. The more we immerse ourselves in the Word and allow His love to rule in our hearts, the more we will see clearly where we fail. More importantly, we will have an Helper to implement the Word as we should. As with most things, the more we do, the easier it becomes. Like a muscle, we must exercise our faith and our actions.  

    One of my resolutions is to stop decieving myself, but to be a doer of the Word. My prayer is that we are a church of doers. It starts with reading the Word, but don't just stop there. Let's take it to the next level. 

 Remember, the reason we do this is not to make the world a better place (although it will be). We do not do this to make ourselves feel better (although we will). Remember Soli Deo Gloria? We obey God, to bring glory to Him alone. In this we show our love for Him. This is how we bring honor and glory to our Saviour for the gift He gave us in Jesus. Read and obey.

Soli Deo Gloria!

💓 Heather Sparks💓