Tag Archives: be a doer Of the Word

May 17, 2023 · 5:34 AM

Faith Lived Out

One of the jobs I’ve had was in a think tank for a large company. They would fly several of us in, present a problem the company was facing and we would go to work to solve. It usually took a week to figure out the cause and how it presented itself. We would then spend the next couple of months creating the solution. We could talk about the solution for days, but until we put it into practice, we didn’t know if it would work. So we flew to where the problem was the worst and implemented the solution. We then watched the results, gathered feedback, refined the solution and retested it over and over until we got the results we were looking for.

In Matthew 7:24 Jesus said, “So everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, will be like a wise man [a far-sighted, practical, and sensible man] who built his house on the rock” (AMP). He said that when the storms of life came and beat against this house, it stood firm because their faith had been tested, refined and proven. Then He contrasted it with a person who just heard His words, but didn’t live them or act on them. When the storms came in that person’s life, their faith crumbled because it was only an idea they were holding onto. This person lacked a strong foundation built on faith that had been lived out.

James 1:22 says, “But prove yourselves doers of the word [actively and continually obeying God’s precepts], and not merely listeners [who hear the word but fail to internalize its meaning], deluding yourselves [by unsound reasoning contrary to the truth].” Faith is just a concept you talk about until you put it into practice in your life. It’s what you live out Monday through Saturday when you’re in the world. It’s walking and trusting God when you can’t see the next step, but moving forward anyway. It’s trusting His promises when others say there is no hope. God never intended for Faith to be something we identify with. He intended it to be something we lived, grew and built our lives on. That’s a foundation that can withstand even the strongest storms. I know because I’ve proven it in my life over and over.

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The Blessings Of Obedience

Several years ago I was managing a store. My sales team was doing ok, but not great. I found the person in the district who was making the most money month after month and asked him what his secret was. He told me the mix of products he sells that yielded him double what my team made. I was so excited to share this formula with my team. I wrote it all down and walked them through it. I then said that they would have to trust me for two months before they would see the results. Only one person on my team followed my instructions. Sure enough, two months later his check doubled. After sharing his success, only one other person cared to do the steps necessary even though they knew what it would do for them.

In Daniel 1, the Babylonians had invaded Israel and taken several promising youth captive back to Babylon to serve the king. They devised an eating and learning regime to yield high results in education. The only problem was the eating regime went against the Law God had given them as Jews. Verse 8 says that Daniel made up his mind to follow God’s law over the king’s. This put his life in peril, so he made a deal with the guard to observe him for 10 days. At the end of those days, he looked better than the others who knew God’s laws and chose not to follow them. Then verse 17 says God blessed Daniel by giving him wisdom in literature, philosophy and interpreting visions and dreams.

James 1:25 says, “But if you look closely into the perfect law that sets people free, and keep on paying attention to it and do not simply listen and then forget it, but put it into practice—you will be blessed by God in what you do” (GNT). There are many blessings God holds for believers who don’t just go to church and hear what the Bible says, but apply it in their lives. Unfortunately so many of us miss out on many of God’s blessings because we aren’t following His laws. Just like in Daniel, they often contradict societal norms. When we choose to follow God’s ways over the world’s and live the way He asks, we open up the pathways to His blessings. Don’t just listen to what the Bible says. Put it into practice in your life. God has so much more for you.

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Actions Speak Louder

How many times have you told someone, “Actions speak louder than words”? Probably too many times to count. A pet peeve that we all share is someone who says one thing and does another. It speaks to their credibility and your ability to trust what they say. I’m sure we can all think of examples right now of times we’ve encountered this in others. The sad thing is that it happens in the Church as much as anywhere. That’s why the book of James in the Bible is pretty much about just that.

We’re all familiar with “Don’t just be a hearer of the Word, but a doer also,” and “Faith without works is dead.” James continues this theme throughout his book to remind us that we can’t just talk like Christians, we must live and act like Christians. James 3:13 says, “Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here’s what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It’s the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts” (MSG). As he wrote, it speaks to our reputation.

Living well can be translated into living honorably. People around us should be able to trust what we say. Proverbs 22:1 says, “A sterling reputation is better than striking it rich.” What is your reputation among other believers? Are you someone they can count on? Are you a person that has an honorable reputation among your local group of believers? What about your reputation among non-believers? To me, this one is of utmost importance. How can anyone accept our faith if the way we live our life is in opposition to what we profess to believe?

I was always told that integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is looking. What I’ve learned is that there is always someone looking. People are always watching us as believers. Our lives should reflect what we say we believe. I’m not saying you have to live perfectly because that’s impossible, but you do have to live honorably. It’s the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts. So let’s not have dead faith. Let’s be doers of the Word and live a life that acts out the faith we profess.

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Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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April 4, 2022 · 5:43 AM

Application Is Key

My son and his friend climbed up into the treehouse part of his old swing set the other day. They immediately came back down to tell me how dirty it was in there and that it was covered in leaves. Then they wanted to know if they could clean it out. A small broom was useful in clearing out the leaves and paper towels helped them wipe everything down. Then the friend came down to tell me that she was able to put her hand through one of the boards. I told my son to get out as I walked over to it. Sure enough, several boards had rotted through where the leaves had piled up. Until I can replace the boards, the treehouse is off limits.

As I laid back down in my hammock, jokingly I thought, “But I have buckets of water seal in the garage. How could it have rotted through?” That thought was met with another one that said, “It doesn’t matter how much water seal you have if you never apply it!” My mind then went to James 1:22 that tells us to be a doer of the Word and not just a hearer only. Many of us have read the Bible and even memorized it. We’ve stored it in our minds, but if we don’t apply it into our lives, things can still fall apart and rot through. It’s not enough to know God’s Word. We must do something with it.

One of my favorite verses is Joshua 1:8 because it gives God’s secret to success in life. It says, “Be sure that the book of the Law is always read in your worship. Study it day and night, and make sure that you obey everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (GNT). We can read it, hear it and study it, but if we don’t obey and apply it, we miss out on the blessings it offers. If we want to guard against rot in our heart and find success in this life and the next, we must apply God’s principles to our lives and live it out. Application is the key to unlocking all that God has for you. Put it to the test and watch Him move in your life.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

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December 8, 2021 · 5:52 AM

Living Your Faith

In one of my jobs, I had a manager who talked big. In meetings he would tell us what he was going to do and what he expected from us.after a few months, I realized that he rarely did anything he said he was going to do. After a particularly exciting meeting, I went to a coworker I had become friends with. I asked, “Foes he ever make good on his promises or does he just talk? He laughed and said, “He just talks.” I don’t think he was a bad guy. He truly wanted to do the things he promised and hoped it would motivate us, but in reality, it simply eroded our trust in him.

In Matthew 21:28-31, Jesus told the story of a father who had two sons. He asked the first one to go work in the vineyard. The boy told his father no, but then later changed his mind and went. After the first refused, he went to the second son and asked him to go work in the vineyard. He agreed to do it, but then never went. Jesus then looks at the crowd and asks, “Which of these two obeyed his father?” (NLT) We may not have liked how the first son responded to his father, but in reality, he’s the one who obeyed. Christianity isn’t about saying the right things. It’s living out your faith.

James 1:22 says, “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.” The danger we all face is becoming like the second son. We know what God wants to hear, and we know what other Christians want to hear. We can get good at speaking Christianese, but without the actions behind the words, we erode trust in ourselves and in God. We are the only Jesus some people see. Actions will always speak louder than words. Beliefs are not based on what we say, but what we do. We will always act in accordance with what we truly believe. If our lives aren’t living out what we profess to believe, we are only fooling ourselves as James said.

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August 21, 2020 · 5:59 AM

Practicing Christianity

For years I was trained to teach others using the SHWIRPPA model. It turns out that if you just see or read something, you will only retain about 10%. If you just hear it, you will retain about 20%. When you observe something, you will retain about 30%. If you read it and hear it, you will retain up to 50%. It increases to 75% if you repeatedly write it, and if you practice it often, you will retain up to 90%. All my teachings and trainings then couldn’t just be me lecturing because the learner would only retain about 20%. What I have to do is include practices built into my classes so that the person in the room could retain almost all the information that I gave. The simple act of giving them the opportunity to apply what they had learned through a role play or practice exponentially increased their ability to remember and change their behavior.

It’s no wonder that James told us to not just be hearers of the Word (20% retention), but doers of the Word (90%). Becoming a Christian is not just about gaining knowledge or learning about God, it’s about becoming a new creation and changing our life. We can spend hours reading the Bible or other books about how to live the life God called us to, but until we interpret it and apply it, we will forget most of what we read or learn. Putting what you’ve learned into practice is a key element to growth. Try to remember last week’s sermon. How much do you remember from it? If you didn’t go out and apply the message, you probably don’t remember much. It’s time each of us began to own our growth by looking for ways to apply all we’ve learned so we can become more Christ-like each day.

Here are some Bible verses on practicing what you’ve learned.

1. Practice these things and devote yourself to them, in order that your progress may be seen by all.

1 Timothy 4:15 GNT

2. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

Philippians 4:9 NLT

3. Practice God’s law—get a reputation for wisdom; hang out with a loose crowd—embarrass your family.

Proverbs 28:7 MSG

4. Blessed are those who observe justice [by honoring God’s precepts], Who practice righteousness at all times.

Psalms 106:3 AMP

5. What good does it do for you to say I am your Lord and Master if what I teach you is not put into practice? Let me describe the one who truly follows me and does what I say. He is like a man who chooses the right place to build a house and then lays a deep and secure foundation. When the storms and floods rage against that house, it continues to stand strong and unshaken through the tempest, for it has been wisely built on the right foundation.

Luke 6:46-48 TPT

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June 7, 2018 · 5:00 AM

Living Honorably

Throwback Thursday is a new feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other writing ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

Photo by JORGE LOPEZ on Unsplash

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