Are You A Doer?
James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
1:23 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:
1:24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
1:25 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.
Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
James warns us that we are all at risk of being “hearers,” only. We comfort ourselves by knowing we read and hear the word of God on a regular basis. Daily, we may read it or listen to Bible “Apps.” Yet, if it doesn’t transform us, we’re missing His point. We are to demonstrate His will in the way we live our lives.
James says we may deceive ourselves if we don’t become “doers.” He says if we hear but don’t do, it’s like taking a look in the mirror and seeing that we have something on our face but forget that we need to clean up.
That’s the way with the Bible. If we hear it, even in great preaching, but don’t make changes in our lives, we are not letting it cleanse us or not letting it help us to grow the way God wants us to.
What‘s the difference? One word that’s simple to understand but difficult to do: Application.
Every time we listen to the word and every time we study it, every time we listen to any teaching or preaching, we should be thinking, “How can I apply what I’m hearing to my own life?”
God promises us that if we do His work, we will be blessed, indeed! May you be blessed today, as you do what is coming to you from His word. I pray that our lives will be transformed by His will being done in us. Let’s apply what He’s trying to teach us.