Putting It Into Practice
I remember a few years ago when I decided that I needed to lose some weight. I managed over the next year to lose 25 pounds and I have been able to maintain my weight since then. I needed to change my mindset in order to accomplish this. When I go to the grocery store or a restaurant, my first thought is how my choices will affect my weight goal. When I sit down to eat, I think about what and how much I can have within the context of my weight goal. That has allowed me to make better decisions and have a better result.
In my last post, I talked about Jesus telling us how we needed to hear His words and put them into practice. We hear this same admonition in several places throughout the Bible. James writes, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (James 1:22). How can we get to this point? First, we should try to develop a mindset that evaluates everything we do in the context of God’s desire for us, whether our actions are in line with God’s will and whether they will draw us closer to or farther from God.
Next, we need to make God’s word a priority in our lives so that we can hear Him when He speaks to us through His word. We also need to set aside regular time for prayer and, even more, try to get in the habit of responding to whatever we experience throughout the day with prayer. We should ask the Holy Spirit to help us hear what God wants to say to us.
Once we hear God’s word, we have a responsibility to act upon it. The biggest key for me is to start. The easy road is to hold off until we are sure we are hearing God correctly. For some things, e.g. marriage, that makes sense. Most of the time we are better served by starting out and asking for God’s guidance along the way. It’s easier to turn the steering wheel when you’re moving than when you’re standing still!
Everybody’s circumstances are different, but a few basic principles apply. Jesus is the Word – if we are doers of the word, we should be doing what He is doing. We should be using the gifts God has given us in service to our neighbors, bringing them the love of God in material and spiritual ways. We should desire to have servants’ hearts, obedient to the will of the Father.
For those of you who would like some additional information, you can check out these posts online.
https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/ways-to-be-doers-of-the-word.html
Comments
Post a Comment