I was listening yesterday, along with some of you, to a wise woman share her heart with us. One thing she vocalized was her concern that we be DOers and not just HEARers of the Word.  This wise woman was Mrs. Lisa Bevere, the writer of numerous books encouraging women, and one of the founders of Messenger International Ministries along with her husband, John Bevere.  She shared, “If you know…you must do.  Because to NOT do, when you KNOW, then there is a problem.”  Oh. So. True!

This struck my heart and caused me to remember the admonition and encouragement from the Book of James on this very topic.

But 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.
But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it,
not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer,
this man will be blessed in what he does.
James 1:22-25

I just *heart* the Book of James!  Don’t you?!?  Here in chapter one, we are being

• built up to handle the temptations that invariably come our way
• encouraged to ASK God for His wisdom knowing that  He will give it generously
• reminded that rewards await us eternally when we persevere in these trials
• thankful because our Father only gives what is good and perfect to us
• warned to be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger….

And then our brother James writes, “But prove yourselves doers of the word…”  Yes, oh, yes; yes, I will!  Does your heart respond like that?  I am pretty darn well assured that it does!  Throughout the Scriptures, ‘…men spoke from God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit’ (2 Peter 1:21).  And so, we are moved and compelled and motivated and spurred on (and convicted and reproved also!) as we read and consider and contemplate the words in God’s Word.   These precious words motivate us to be doers and not hearers only.

I am always so encouraged by the hearts of you, my friends, as you joy and rejoice over God’s Word.  In the same conversation that I mentioned at the beginning, my friend Kim talked about how much she loves studying the Scriptures.  She shared a question that she asked herself, “…Am I doing everything that I am studying and learning and absorbing?  Now I need to be purposeful about praying if I am doing what I am studying!”  Yes, Kim!  That is exactly it!   And then a minute later, my sister Teresa shared her comment, “Mine is always ‘back to the Word!’  Don’t just listen to it…don’t just study it; but you have to DO what it says.  Otherwise, you fool yourselves.  It is wasted…and the Word will NOT be wasted!”  Amen, Teresa!  I, too, just want to be a DOER…a doer of God’s Word!   ♥

Praying for each of you!  ♥ 

♥  coleen

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If you would like to send a personal message to Coleen concerning this blog post, you may email her at: Coleen@girlfriendscoffeehour.com