Verse of the Day - James 1:22

But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
~ James 1:22 (NASB)

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(Note: Today, one of my usual perusal websites had James 1:22 as their daily verse. I thought I'd written on this verse previously, and I was right -- on 1/9/09. but when I reread it, it all seemed new to me, and I thought it was pretty good. So here's a reprint of my VOTD from 1/9/09. Thanks!)


"Green" rules for energy are all around us. We hear commercials and whole documentaries about becoming "green". Major political platforms revolve around global warming and the energy crisis, and I believe we do have a responsibility to do what we can to conserve our resources. But it doesn't do us a lick of good to fill our head with facts about conservation if we never do anything about it. I can store up $1-off coupons for fluorescent bulbs all I want, but unless I actually buy them and replace my incandescent bulbs with energy efficient fluorescents, I have done nothing responsible, nothing good. I can know it's the responsible thing to turn off lights when leaving a room, but unless I do it, I continue to be an energy waster . . . bad dog.

So, too, with God's word. We can delude ourselves into thinking that we are spiritual people by reading the Bible. Information does not equate to transformation - - that's the delusion, my friends. God's word isn't just another box to be checked off of your 'to-do' list...

~ Go to the grocery store...."check"
~ Do the laundry..."check"
~ Read my Bible for 15 minutes..."check"
~ Spank the kids and yell at the dog..."check"

I mean, what good does the information do, if it just fills up your head and never gets translated into action? It's just a $1-off coupon sitting in your wallet.

Jesus said it so well...

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." ~ Matthew 7:24-27 (NIV)

When you read and hear God's word, let the Holy Spirit move you to act on it. Be obedient to God's call for change in your life, because it's for your good and the good of His kingdom. When we allow God to transform us to godly living, we are blessed with peace, and those around us are witness to the power of God to make change in our sin-sick world.

So, don't just cut spiritual coupons -- change the light bulbs in your life!

Love,
Joelene