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As believers, we must spend time reading God’s Word. Psalm 1:2 (NKJV) says: But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. But we must go a step further than just reading God’s Word. We must put what we read into practice. James 1:22 (NKJV) tells us: But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. When we are “doers of the Word”, our lives are an expression of God’s Word. Consider, for example, the tongue and how God’s Word should affect how we use it.
From Scripture we know that an uncontrolled – untamed – tongue is dangerous. James 3:6 (NIV) tells us: The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
And from Scripture we know that the tongue reveals what is in our hearts. Luke 6:45 (NKJV) tells us: A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
While we can try to control the things we say, our human effort can only take us so far. James 3:8 (NIV) tells us: but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. On our own, we cannot tame our tongue in a true and lasting way. But God can. Consider the account on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit sat upon – rested on – the believers in the upper room. Acts 2:4 (NKJV) states: And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
God empowered the believers to speak in other tongues on the day of Pentecost. The same God wants to empower us. Philippians 2:13 (NKJV) states: for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. When the Word of God is put into practice, we glorify God. For example, we obey God’s Word and use our tongues to build others up instead of tearing them down. As Ephesians 4:29 (NIV) states: Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
When we are doers of God’s Word, it shows that time spent with the Word has affected us. But there is more. When we are doers of God’s Word, we advance God’s kingdom.
For example, Matthew 22:37 (NKJV) says: Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” When we go from just reading this verse, to putting this into practice in our daily lives, people around us get to see God’s Word in action. People get to see a believer who loves God above all else and they are encouraged to do the same.
Also, in John 13:34-35 Jesus said: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another (NIV).” When we go from just reading these verses, to putting them into practice in our daily lives, people around us experience God’s Word in action. People get to experience God’s love.
Let us take God’s Word out into the world. Let us be doers of God’s Word.
James 1:23-24 (NIV) states: Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.
Except where indicated, scripture references are from the American Standard Version (ASV), Darby Translation (DARBY), or King James Version (KJV) – all public domains.
