14
Mar '18
Don’t Take A Seat, Take Action!
14
Mar '18
We have lost our blessing or happiness, because we don’t do much with God’s Word. Jesus said in John 13:17, “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” For most, God’s Word is too much for them to read on a regular basis, or they are just too busy, Kevin Deyoung says “Crazy Busy” in his book with the same title. But if we were to adhere to what God says we need first to listen to His word and if we intently listened we would be doing something for His glory.
Be a Doer
James tells us in James 1:22-25, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” We cheat ourselves out of a blessing when we think just listening to His word is enough. When, in fact, listening is just the beginning. It is funny how James gives the illustration of a man looking into a mirror, if he found a flaw he probably wouldn’t do anything about it. Yet a woman would do whatever was necessary to cover up the flaw, thus taking action. Don’t just listen to God’s Word, look at it intently and get up and do something about what you have read.
Take Action
In the book of Exodus we find Israel at the Red Sea and Moses tells them to sit tight and watch what God does. But between verse 14 and 15 nothing happens, and God tells them to quit talking about what to do and get up and do something. Exodus 14:13-15, “And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.” They were expecting God to do it all, but God said you have your part to play as well. Its like this, people just expect God to give them a house, but thats not how God works, God grows the tree that the 2×4’s can be made out of and gives us talents so we can use them to do the work ourselves. Just like the raising of Lazarus, Jesus said, “remove the stone.” Jesus could have removed that stone just by speaking to it but He chose to have men do it. The idea was we should work and do what God has empowered us to do, and let God do what only He can do.
If you say you have a relationship with Jesus but do not keep His commandments, you don’t do anything that the Bible says we are to do, then my question is, “What does that make you?”
1 John 2:3-4, Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”
God Bless
Dan Z.