Livin' the life...

Qualities Needed in Trials
So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
Doers—Not Hearers Only
Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. - James 1:19-27 (NKJV)

Reflecting on these words, many topics come to mind, however the one I'd like to focus on this week is being doers of The Word, and not hearers only. It's like what I tell people when they proudly confess that they are Christians, and believe in Jesus Christ; it's not simply reading your Bible, and being on the exec committee of your church group.. oh it's soo much more. To believe in Him, we must live how he would want us to live. When we read the Bible, it's not just a meaningless duty, we can read to learn how to live. By reading the Bible, we see what to do and what not to do, we see our sins, in effect, we see how we should live our God-given lives. Yet often, we read then, put down the Bible, and sometimes, forget, or do what we think benefits us, mangling the Bible and its words. This should not be so, and this week I would like to invite you to pick a passage in the Bible, and try your best to live it out - every second of everyday, whether it be 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 or Philippians 4:6!

Let's take that step, to show God we love Him, as He - time and time again - shows how much he loves us. Have a great week, and God bless.