A pastor and a friend, who was pretty negative on the Bible, went for a walk in a neighborhood one day. The friend was saying, “What good is the Bible? Look around you. What do you see? Trouble, misery and wars…even after all these years and years of preaching and teaching from the Bible. What good is the Bible if all this evil still exists?” The pastor didn’t say anything, and they just continued their walk. They noticed a kid playing in the gutter. The youngster was just grimy with dirt and mud. The pastor said to his friend, “Look at this child! Now people say that soap makes people clean, but what good is it? With all the soap in the world, this child is still dirty. What good is soap after all. His friend immediately shot back “But pastor, soap can’t do its job if it isn’t used!” The pastor said, “And the same is true with the Bible”. In the book of James we are told not to just listen to God’s Word, but that we need to do what it says. If we listen to it and don’t obey it, it is like looking at your face in the mirror and you see yourself and then walk away, you forget what you look like. Real faith requires us to apply God’s teachings to our lives. If we just listen and walk away it results in self deception. And self-deception is the process of convincing yourself of a belief …despite being exposed to truth that contradicts it. And often we aren’t even aware we are doing it. Real faith takes what God says and puts it into action. And the good news is that if you put God’s word into practice, you are promised that God will bless you for doing it. So read that Bible…but put it to work in your life. Put it into action and see how God uses you and then rewards you for doing it! Here’s our Bible verse for today…\
James 1:22-25 NLT But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. (23) For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. (24) You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. (25) But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
Remember I’m praying for you…
PJ
James 1:22-25 NLT But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. (23) For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. (24) You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. (25) But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
Remember I’m praying for you…
PJ