Verse of the Day 5/17

James 1:23-24English Standard Version (ESV)

²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. ²⁴ For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.

I read these verses in a devotional this morning and what struck me was that at that moment many people would be standing in front of mirrors, (of much higher quality than in those days) getting ready to go to church and to worship this morning, noticing and taking care of that hair that was out of place, or the spot on your chin that you missed while shaving, or perhaps that stain on your shirt that you hadn't noticed when putting it on.

Pastors would be putting their finishing touches on sermons that were developed by looking intently into God's Word for a message for His people with the hope and prayer that the words that would soon be spoken would be like that mirror,spiritually.  Perhaps you've heard of  or experienced yourself, when a message seems to have been prepared as if the pastor had you in mind when he developed that sermon.  In actuality, it was still God's Word working on you as it had worked on your pastor with the intent of change.

Perhaps you are reading this after returning from church with the message still in your mind.  What are you going to do about it?  Are you going to leave that spot, that hair that is out of place on your life or will you be a doer and make the change, remembering what God's Word is calling you to do, and do it.

Were you listening?   Go out and act upon it.

--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV    

James 1:21-24The Message (MSG)

Act on What You Hear

^19-21 Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God's righteousness doesn't grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life.

^22-24 Don't fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don't act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.