Doers

 

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. – James 1.22-24

 

I love Bible study. I love my devotional time. I love teaching God’s word. I love preaching the word. I just truly enjoy it (when I get off my lazy bum to do it).

 

It’s a good thing to have a desire to read and study God’s word. How else can we know more about God and His love for us and His plans for us?

 

But there is a lot more to it. We have to do something with what we read and study.

 

Here’s how James describes it – if a person is not changed by reading and hearing God’s word He is like someone who gets up in the morning, getting ready to go off to work, after seeing a mess, and does nothing about it.

 

That’s just plain silly, but it is what we do far too often. God shows us our need of change and we just ignore it and go on our way.

 

James makes it real simple. It is not enough to be a hearer of the word. I must also be a doer of the word. Otherwise, I am fooling nobody but me.

 

So let’s be about the hearing, we need that – but lets not forget the doing.