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RECEIVING GOD’S WORD
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21
James 1:22

Luke 11:28

 

“…blessed are they
that hear the word of God,

and keep it.”

 

RECEIVING GOD’S WORD
 
James continues to encourage the believers to be “doers of the word” (James 1:22). They must not be hearers only. Those who profess to be believers, but do not apply into their lives what they hear from God’s Word, are just deceiving themselves. If they do not use the words of God in their lives, then perhaps they do not have God’s Word genuinely implanted in their hearts. They are merely parrots that memorise God’s words without understanding and without doing them. This is the litmus test for those who claim to be believers of Christ.
 
Be ye doers: The Apostle James commands that we must do what God’s Word says. He leaves no other option. A doer is one who embraces God’s Word from the heart. His life testifies that he believes, according to the Scriptures. It must be borne in mind that no one can perfectly live out everything that he hears. This is precisely the purpose of the command. It is to remind believers that they are still trapped in this sinful flesh, which does not desire to obey the words of God. The spirit desires to apply, but the flesh opposes. Constant reminders are therefore essential. Listen to the words of the Lord Jesus Christ: “But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it” (Luke 11:28).
 
Be not just hearers: A Christian cannot live his life as a hearer only. It would be evidence of an unregenerated life. A true, born-again believer may at times struggle in obeying God’s Word, but the Spirit of God will soon cause him to obey. Eventually, he will even be dragged to obey if he is still reluctant. Remember Lot! The grave warning is that if a person continues to live such a “hearer-only” kind of life, he is deceiving himself to think he is a Christian when he is not. To deceive oneself is the greatest tragedy in a man’s life. Imagine fooling yourself that you are going to heaven, when you are actually on your way to hell.
 
Thus, the Lord Jesus gives us Luke 6:46-49 about the importance of doing rather than hearing only. Read Luke 6:46-49. Dear reader, do not deceive yourself. Receive the Word not by hearing only!
 
THOUGHT: Am I deceiving myself by being a hearer only?
PRAYER: Father, open my eyes that I may see whether I am really just a hearer only or a doer of God’s Word too.

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