Doers of the Word
“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 who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.” James 1:22 – 25
Let me ask you a question: how easy is it for your mom to ask you to clean your room and then you don’t clean your room? I have done that at least once; it is so easy for me to hear what someone is telling me, but it can be much harder to actually do what I was told.
After my mom told me to go clean my room I would walk in and see dirty clothes on the floor, dirt in the carpet, and an unmade bed. Instantly I would find an excuse like “it’s just too dirty, or “I want to go play with my friends” to not clean my room. The next day the same thing would happen and again my room would be left unclean. So easily we can hear what people are telling us, but take no action just like we can read the Bible but do nothing in response.
Over the years I have learned that one of the easiest ways to become a doer of the word is to write out an action step in response to your Bible reading. By doing this I write out exactly what I intend to do, implementing what I have learned, and acting. Examples of being a doer of the word include:
- Join a small group or Bible study – God calls us to live in community with others and this is a great way to join other believers, have discussions, and deepen your faith.
- Spend time each day in prayer.
- Reach out to someone and make a new friend.
Today I encourage you to go out and be a doer. The Bible gives us direction for how we should live our lives and Jesus provides the prefect example to follow.