Do? Or, just listen?

Good Morning,

James 1:22 (NIV)
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

I received two messages this morning with sections, verses, of Scripture. The first that I read was this very familiar verse from James that tells us, clearly I think, that we are to actually DO what is set forth for us in the Bible. That would be, we are to obey those things that God has given to the writers of Scripture and not just read or listen to the words. Key word: DO.

Now, close on the heals of this clear and concise admonition to obedience to God's word, I received the following...

Romans 12:4-18 (NRSV)
For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness. Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

Now, if we believe what James wrote to us about the "doing" and not just the "hearing" of what the Bible tells us, then this second section of Scripture gives us some actions that God wants us to take. I don't think that Paul came up with these words on His own, just as I don't believe that any of the authors of Scripture simply wrote their own ideas in any of the books of the Bible. No, I firmly believe that these verses today give us words directly from God about some of the ways we are to live our lives; some of the things we should DO...and not merely be cognizant of. So, what should we do?

Use our gifts: prophesy, ministry, teaching, exhorting, generosity, leading, compassion...all in proportion to the faith given each of us in any or all of these things.

We are to: love genuinely, hate evil, hold to what is good, love one another, give each other honor, be zealous in our actions, passionate in showing our spirit, serve the Lord.

We need to: rejoice in our hope, be patient in our sufferings and those around us, be persistent in our prayer life.

We should: contribute as best we can to those who are in need, be hospitable to all, bless those who persecute us.

We ought to: rejoice with those who are rejoicing and weep with those who weep...be understanding of those around us and share with them their happiness or grief, as the moment demands.

We should: live in harmony with each other, not be contemptuous or condescending, be considerate and empathize with those of lower social or economic standing.

We need to: never claim wisdom we do not have, never seek revenge (seek evil to repay evil).

Finally we are to always: do what is right and keep in mind what is considered noble and, do everything in our power to live peaceable with everyone.

Quite a list, isn't it? Now, if each of us will go over these attributes, ideas, abilities, and emotions that we read of in Romans, with the thought that we read from James in our minds, we will see what it is we DO and, conversely, those things that we have heard, but don't put into action.

Amazing how God sends along one thing that directly leads to, and explains, another, isn't it?

Love, peace, and blessings,

David