“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
– James 1:22
In yesterday’s message we expressed the thought, “If you give God a little bit, He can do a lot.” Today I want to encourage you to become the type of person who not only is a hearer of the word, but also a doer as well. As a pastor, I went to seminary to complete four years of graduate study. Seminary can actually cause some students who are passionate about God to lose their faith and die spiritually. The origin of the word seminary means the place where seeds are planted to grow into seedlings. You can think of it as a nursery for little plants. These seeds are grown into little plants, and then you take those seedlings and plant them all over the world. So, what enabled some students to thrive in seminary? My peers who went out and ministered as they learned were successful. It didn’t matter whether they volunteered at their church, served as youth pastors, or worked in social service; their hearts flourished. The other students who didn’t devote time to ministry and focused only on reading, studying, and taking courses didn’t fare too well. Some of these students came out questioning God and the Bible, such as, “Did God really say that?” They were very academic but really didn’t do much good for the world. Friend, we have to be hearers and doers. This is a great lesson for all of us! The key thing I observed is that when students were actively serving at the same time as they were learning, this experience was building something valuable in their hearts. You don’t want to do without hearing, and you don’t want to hear without doing. As a result, we add great value to God’s Kingdom! |
Prayer
Father, let me not only hear your words, but also act upon them.
Reflection
Is your church or community a place where you actively volunteer? What value has this added to your life?
If you’re unable to attend your local church or need some additional weekly inspiration, be sure to tune into Hour of Power every Sunday at 11:00 a.m. PT on TBN or watch online at hourofpower.org/episode.
One Response
I am disabled. I have at times tried to help people. Satan blocks me from reading. I read lines over and over. I do not take it in. I have to go back and read the posts you sent me. It is not getting in my mind much. I do try to help people with what comes to mind.