"Obedience and Action"

Becoming a Doer of the Word

"But prove yourselves doers of the word [actively and continually obeying God’s precepts], and not merely listeners [who hear the word but fail to internalize its meaning], deluding yourselves [by unsound reasoning contrary to the truth]." (James 1:22, AMP) 

Many are not doers of the Word – they get enjoyment and knowledge from hearing it but with no thought of doing it – thinking that hearing is enough. Some think it is impossible to live the way God expects, therefore are content to keep sinning. Some see Bible reading as a duty rather than a desire to be moulded. 

“If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know whether the teaching is of God or whether I speak on My own accord and by My own authority.” (John 7:17, AMP)

If I delight in God’s laws and set my will on doing it, then I can receive divine illumination on the teachings of Christ. Doing it is owning and accepting it. 

Regularly ask as I read the Bible, “Do I know what this means?” “Am I living it?” “Am I doing what He says?’ Accept – “I can do all things, through Christ Who strengthens me!” He is my power!

 
Keeping Christ’s Commandments

Doing God’s Word is joy and blessing. 

In John 14:15 – 15:14 Jesus gives six emphasised statements of the need/the importance of keeping His commandments. Read and re-read these verses until a deep conviction is worked in me that the keeping of His commandments is the essential element of all spiritual blessing. It is necessary for the coming actual indwelling of the Holy Spirit, for the enjoyment of the Father’s love and the manifestation of Christ in my life, plus the power in prayer, abiding in Christ’s love and the enjoyment of His friendship day by day, plus the way to the Father’s heart and His way into my heart. (Keep the commandments and verily, in him is the love of God perfected – 1 John 2:3-5) - and He dwells in me (I John 3:21-24) = confidence towards God and true intimate fellowship with Him. 

By reading the Word with a determination to search out and to obey every commandment of God and of Christ = all the blessing the Word was ever meant to bring. From this, learn two things  

  1. I must wait for the teaching of the Holy Spirit to lead me into all God’s will, and 

  2. There is joy in performing daily duties because they are the will of God. 

Look for opportunities in life to be loving, perform loving acts – this allows me to accept Christ-like love and humility as the law of the super-natural life I am to live. Put my hope entirely in Him. By His Spirit, He will work in me to will and to do that which pleases Him. Unless commands are obeyed, the accumulation of scriptural knowledge will harden me and make me unable to learn from the Spirit. Use the morning time to commit to doing and living His will and commandments throughout the day. 

The Word Is Life

It is far superior to know by experience than by thought or idea. 

Unless I experience love (rather than reading or hearing about it), I do not know God – only love can know God. The knowledge (and experience) of God is life eternal. 

If Adam and Eve had eaten from the tree of life, they would have received all the good that God had for them in living power as an experience and would have only known evil by being absolutely free from it. Eve was led astray by the desire for knowledge and “to become wise.” She thus obtained a knowledge of good without possessing it – a knowledge of good only by the evil that was opposite – thus, since then, man has sought to know truth more in  knowledge, rather than in life. 

It is only by experiencing God and His goodness that I can receive true knowledge. Intellect knowledge can’t quicken. (Without love I am nothing. 1 Cor 13:2) 

Even though I need intellect to hear and understand God’s Word in its human meaning, to possess the truth by the intellect, the Holy Spirit must make it life and truth in the heart – during the yielding of the heart, waiting on God in quiet submission and faith. 

By continued submission and expectation, my intellect and heart will work in perfect harmony. Each movement of the mind will be accompanied by the corresponding movement of the heart, waiting on and listening for the teaching of the Spirit. 

Brian McMichan

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