Doers Of The Word

But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not just hearers who deceive themselves.  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.  But one who has looked intently at the perfect law, the law of freedom, and has continued in it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an active doer, this person will be blessed in what he does.

James 1:22-25

When we read the Bible we sometimes do not absorb what is being said.  We miss what God is telling us.  That is how it is when we are hearers of the word and not doers.

Years ago, one Sunday my daughter said, "I don't think I like what the pastor said."

What she did not like was that the pastor said, "The purpose of bad people in your life is to destroy your life.  Get rid of them."  

My daughter had some shady friends and she knew it and she still associated with them and was influenced by them, which caused her a lot of grief. 

This is what happens when we disregard what the Bible tells us about how we should live.  We are easily pulled into things that are not good for us or anyone else. And, our lives are less than the best that God has for us.

When we look intently at what the Bible tells us to do and actively strive to live Christ like lives, we will be blessed.    

  

Kindness - Get It Back

Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.

I Peter 2:1-3

Every now and then stuff happens and we get tangled up by our natural instincts which can choke the life out of our Christianity.  

 

We get a bad attitude.  We become mean.  We look in the mirror and don't like what we see.  So, what is the cure for this?

 

The cure is to renew our Christian behavior by spending time reading the Bible and in prayer - for ourselves and for others.    

 

We who have experienced the kindness of the Lord need to get it back and pass it on.   

Rejoice and Be Glad

 

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24

Every morning when I get out of bed, I recite this verse to help me set the tone for my day.

That is not to say that I am not sometimes crabby or angry or disappointed, but to say that even in those time, I can rejoice that the Lord made the day and made me.  

Being thankful takes effort because none of us have perfect lives, but the act of thanking God for all we have helps us keep a positive perspective and can improve our attitude.  

And, knowing that God in His infinite wisdom has everything under control, helps us see beyond that which is happening at the moment to recognize that it all is part of God's plan for us.  

So, rejoice and be glad! 

The Alpha and The Omega

 

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” Says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Revelations 1:8

The Alpha and the Omega are the first and last letters in the Greek alphabet.  They symbolize the beginning and the end of things.

God calls Himself the beginning and the end - because it was He who created everything, including us, and it is He who will be sitting on the throne when all things end.   

God wants us to know He is always with us. We are never left alone. He has said it, and it is true: He is the Almighty. And, He is on our side.  

When in doubt, shout it out, "I am the Alpha and the Omega," Says the Lord God. 

We Are All Loved By God

 

And He (Jesus) also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt:

“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God I thank you that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’

“But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God be merciful to me, the sinner!’

“I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Luke 18:9-14

Jesus wants us to understand that we have accomplishments of which we can be proud, but when we come before God it is neither the time nor the place brag because God knows everything about us.  He knows none of us are perfect. 

We may do many things which are good and right, but we need to humble ourselves and acknowledge that as good as we may be, it only takes one sin to make a sinner and we all have at least one of those.

Let us remember to thank God for His forgiveness and for His blessings and consider that the ground at the foot of the cross is level.  We are no better or worse than anyone and we are all loved by God.   

When God Calls

 

For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.

1 Corinthians 1:26-29

From the beginning, God chose some of the most unlikely people to do His work. There was Moses the reluctant leader. There was Jacob who was a mama’s boy. There was the Apostle Peter who shot his mouth off at all the wrong times. There were the Apostles James and John who wanted to call the fire of heaven down on the Samaritans (Luke 9:54).

God took ordinary people, and used them to proclaim His message to the world. And, He still uses unlikely people today to do His work.

If you think that not being smart, or lacking a good education or having a messy life, excludes you from being of service to God, think again. You are just the one He is looking for.

When God calls, answer Him.

God's Righteousness and Justice

 

Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?

But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each person according to His deeds: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory, and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil....

Romans 2:4-9

The righteousness and justice of God means that He treats His creation with fairness. He rewards those who follow Him and obey His commandments, and provides a means for salvation to all human beings through acceptance of His Son, Jesus, as their Lord, Master and Savior. God being righteous and just gave His Son, Jesus, as the final sacrifice for man’s sin, and the triumph of good over evil. The free gift of God is salvation through Jesus.

On the flip side, because God is righteous and just, He makes no bones about punishing evil. This punishment extends beyond any punishment which man may inflict on man, to eternity – in that there is no place in heaven for those who refuse God’s call to redemption.

The ultimate testimony to the righteousness and justice of God is His open invitation to all humanity to come to Him.

(With Acknowledgement to Henry Clarence Thiessen, Author: Introductory Lectures in Systematic Theology. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, MI. 1949.)