I love listening to great sermons. (Yeah to Audioverse and to my brother-in-law for starting such a powerful sermon sharing ministry!) I also love going to conferences and being inspired. (That's one reason why I love being part of ARME Bible Camp Ministries.) But is just going and listening and being inspired what God is asking from us?
James 1:22 shares a verse we are all quite familiar with:
"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves."
However, it doesn't stop there. As we study our Bibles, we have to read the context and also learn to read before and after, so we don't make a verse mean something that it wasn't intended to say. Listen as James continues:
"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 1:23-25
I wasn't looking for this verse, but I'm amazed how perfectly it goes with what I wrote earlier this past week. Here is exactly what I was talking about… that mirror that we look into which is God's law. We look to the law so that we see ourselves and see our need of Christ. We also look so that we can be changed…be liberated. But change involves obedience and surrender...
"Obedience is the test of discipleship. It is the keeping of the commandments that proves the sincerity of our professionsof love. When the doctrine we accept kills sin in the heart, purifies the soul from defilement, bears fruit unto holiness, we may know that it is the truth of God. When benevolence, kindness, tenderheartedness, sympathy, are manifest in our lives; when the joy of right doing is in our hearts; when we exalt Christ, and not self, we may know that our faith is of the right order. “Hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.” 1 John 2:3. Thoughts from the Mount of Blessings, p. 146
"Obedience is the test of discipleship. It is the keeping of the commandments that proves the sincerity of our professionsof love. When the doctrine we accept kills sin in the heart, purifies the soul from defilement, bears fruit unto holiness, we may know that it is the truth of God. When benevolence, kindness, tenderheartedness, sympathy, are manifest in our lives; when the joy of right doing is in our hearts; when we exalt Christ, and not self, we may know that our faith is of the right order. “Hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.” 1 John 2:3. Thoughts from the Mount of Blessings, p. 146
Day 34 - Vit. B-3 Challenge
- Bible Thought: We must allow God's Law to change us…from the inside out!
- Blessing: God is enabling me to accomplish many things.
- Battles: That I may abide in Him today…and not try to obey in my own strength. I can't do it!
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