Be a Doer of the Word

Last Sunday was Palm Sunday, the day Jesus entered Jerusalem like a king. In less than a week’s time, the city would turn on him and Jesus would be crucified. How is this possible when so many people would gather to hear his message and Jesus spoke nothing but truth?

            Much like the parable of the sower, Jesus’ message was not falling on “good soil”. During his time in Jerusalem, Jesus spent much of his time answering difficult questions asked by the Pharisees, whose only purpose was to test him. Jesus spoke so much truth during his short time in Jerusalem, but the people were not receptive. James 1:22 – 24 says,

Prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude 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.

            It is not enough to hear the words of Jesus. You have to allow your head knowledge to become heart knowledge. Once the Word penetrates your heart, the only natural response is to let God’s love flow out through your hands and feet, now making you a “Doer of the Word.”

            This is something the religious leaders of the time were not able to do. It’s evident in their need to accomplish their own selfish agendas. Nothing about Pharisees attracted others to become closer to God because, while they knew the word, they did not live it out.

            There was a film that came out about 10 years ago called To Save A Life. The main character is a nonbeliever who becomes interested in what it means to be a Christian. He starts going to church but is quickly put off by many who attend that seem to act just as worldly as nonbelievers. Growing frustrated, he finally blurts out, “What’s the point of all this if you’re not going to let it change you?!”

            The answer? There is no point. Your walk with God can either attract people or turn people away. Matthew 5:16 says,

Let your light shine before men so they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

            Unlike the people in Jerusalem, allow Jesus’ message to change you. Be a doer of the word and a reason someone chooses to glorify your Father today.

Make the Change

           There are times in life when we realize that we just have to make a change. Things cannot stay the same. Something has to budge. Sometimes God feels the same way and He is much more attuned to what needs changing than you or me. If you make space for God in your life, I think that you will find that He is in the business of changing people. I want you to consider this question. If you took the time today to sit down and pray, what do you think God might say needs changing in your life?

            The bible has a word for the change God wants for our life. It’s called repentance. Biblically speaking, to repent means to make a change and turn to God for help. Turning to God involves turning away from something else. This is a process of letting go of something old so that you can experience something new. It’s more than just being forgiven by God. It’s making a change. For God, forgiveness and repentance always go hand in hand. There's an old rabbinical saying,

If a man has an unclean thing in his hands, he may wash them in all the seas of the world, and he will never be clean; but if he throws the unclean thing away, a little water will suffice.

            When we seek forgiveness without repentance, we are missing the point. God is not just trying to hand out "Get Out of Jail Free" cards. He is calling people into a real relationship. Repentance is a turning around; you make a 180-degree change. If you say want God to work in your life, you must be willing to let go and turn around. It means turning from your sin and turning towards God. It's a real change in your heart and mind.

            When we turn around, we find the embrace of a loving Father. When He calls your name, turn around. Repentance is not about perfection; it's about setting a new direction. Maybe it’s time to let go, turn to God, and with open arms embrace all that He has for you. God is closer than you think. Take the time to listen. Make the change.

From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
-Matthew 4:17, NIV

Essential to God

Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy.

 - Ephesians 1:4 NLT

            The world is currently in a state of panic, loneliness, fear, uncertainty, and even depression. Many people's jobs are affected by the government mandated shutdown of, "non-essential businesses."

            Essential is defined as, "absolutely necessary; extremely important." So there are thousands, if not millions, currently out of work feeling unnecessary and unimportant.

            As we all walk thru this valley, it is essential for us to remember how absolutely necessary and extremely important we are to God. Remember today's verse, located in Ephesians 1:4, "Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy."

            God sees us, He knows us, He chose us, He is with us and best of all He loves us. We are important and essential to Him! As we go thru this time, take comfort and find peace in His love.

You are essential to God!

Love Sacrificially

My Bible app sends out a verse of the day every morning. On Sunday morning, the verse of the day was possibly one of the most memorized verses in the Bible, John 3:16.

“For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

When it first popped up on my phone, I didn’t give it much thought because it’s a verse that comes up so much, but God worked to give me a new perspective on the familiar verse.

Often, I think we tend to focus on the second part more: You have to believe in Jesus to be saved.

This is an important truth, possibly the most important truth, but last week my mind was drawn to the first phrase: “For God so loved the world that He gave…”

The focus of today’s devotional thought is that Love should be sacrificial.

Love is meant to be a motivator. It doesn’t say God gave us His Son because he felt obligated or because he waited around for someone else to fix the problem and nobody showed. He sacrificed because He so loved the world that He couldn’t bare to leave us alone and hopeless without providing a way out.

And this is the same love that he calls us to have for the world.

1 John 4:11 says, “since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

God is the ultimate teacher or parent. He knows that He could just give us instructions and tell us what to do, but we learn so much better if shown what to do. We just need to follow his example.

So what does it look like to love sacrificially? Going out of your way to show love may cost you your time, your money, your energy. It may cause you pain because loving someone else makes you vulnerable and your love may not always be returned.

“For God so loved that he gave.”

But what did he give to love you? He sacrificed his only Son. He didn’t hold back. He didn’t say it’s too expensive, or I can’t give that much. He said, “You are worth it.”

So who is God calling you to love today? What does that look like for you? What is it going to cost and are you willing to sacrifice in order to further God’s mission?