Walk the Talk

James 1:22 - Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (NIV)

The book of James encourages Christians to act like Christians and live a life that proves the gospel is at work.  It is intensely practical, action oriented and describes the outward serving of faith.  According to James, if faith is real and if we truly trust God, then our faith will lead to all kinds of practical actions for the benefit of others.

In today’s verse, James urges the believers who listen to God’s Word to demonstrate a sincere commitment to the Lord by reacting to what they hear with obedient action.  The very nature of this passage is application, being doers of the Word.  The original language gives the sense that we must “keep on becoming” doers of God’s Word.  Genuine faith calls for obedience that endures.

The Word of God is not just a beautiful piece of literature to be savored and enjoyed.  Its purpose goes beyond provoking thought and inviting meditation.  It demands a change of heart that prompts a change of behavior.  Genuine faith does what God’s Word says and experiences the blessings from it.  Genuine faith believes God is right and is willingly to change to do what is right based on God’s Word.

The keys to the Kingdom

THE KEY OF DAVID

Matthew 16:19 — I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

BOOK QUOTE: When Heaven Invades Earth [Chapter 2]

THE gospel of salvation is to touch the whole man: spirit, soul, and body.  A study on the word evil confirms the intended reach of His redemption.  That word is found in Matthew 6:13 (KJV), “Deliver us from evil.”  The word evil represents the entire curse of sin upon man.  Poneros, the Greek word for evil, came from the word ponos, meaning “pain.”  And that word came from the root word penes, meaning “poor.”  Look at it: evil—sin, pain—sickness, and poor—poverty.

Jesus destroyed the power of sin, sickness, and poverty through His redemptive work on the cross.  In Adam and Eve’s commission to subdue the earth, they were without sickness, poverty, and sin.  Now that we are restored to His original purpose, should we expect anything less?  After all, this is called the better covenant!

We were given the keys to the Kingdom — which in part is the authority to trample over all the powers of hell (Matthew 16:19; Luke 10:19).  There is a phrase key of David, which is mentioned in both Revelation and Isaiah (Revelarion 3:7; Isaiah 22:22).

All that the Father has is ours through Christ.  His entire treasure is at our disposal in order to fulfill His commission.  But the more sobering part of this illustration is found in controlling who gets in to see the King.  Isn’t that what we do with this gospel?

When we declare it, we give opportunity for people to come to the King to be saved.  When we are silent, we have chosen to keep those who would hear away from eternal life.  It was a costly key for Him to purchase, and it’s a costly key for us to use.  But, it’s even more costly to bury it and not obtain an increase for the coming King.  That price will be felt throughout eternity.

When we are silent, we have chosen to keep those who would hear away from eternal life.

[A LIFE OF MIRACLES by Bill Johnson]

Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob. . . . I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth. (Isaiah 41:14–15)

Could any two things be in greater contrast than a worm and a threshing tool with sharp teeth?  A worm is delicate and is easily bruised by a stone or crushed beneath a passing wheel.  Yet a threshing tool with sharp teeth can cut through rock and not be broken, leaving its mark upon the rock.  And almighty God can convert one into the other.  He can take an individual or a nation, who has all the weakness of a worm, and through the energizing work of His own Spirit, endow that person or nation with strength enough to make a profound mark upon the history of their time.

Therefore a “worm” may take heart.  Almighty God can make us stronger than our circumstances and can turn each situation to our good.  In God’s strength we can make them all pay tribute to our soul.  We can even take the darkest disappointment, break it open, and discover a precious jewel of grace inside.  When God gives us an iron will, we can cut through difficulties just as an iron plowshare cuts through the hardest soil.  As He said in the above verse, “I will make you. . . .” Will He not do it? John Henry Jowett

Christ is building His kingdom with the broken things of earth.  People desire only the strong, successful, victorious, and unbroken things in life to build their kingdoms, but God is the God of the unsuccessful—the God of those who have failed.  Heaven is being filled with earth’s broken lives, and there is no “bruised reed” (Isaiah 42:3) that Christ cannot take and restore to a glorious place of blessing and beauty.  He can take a life crushed by pain or sorrow and make it a harp whose music will be total praise.  He can lift earth’s saddest failure up to heaven’s glory. J. R. Miller

“Follow Me, and I will make you . . .” Make you speak My words with power, Make you vessels of My mercy, Make you helpful every hour.

“Follow Me, and I will make you . . .” Make you what you cannot be— Make you loving, trustful, godly,

Make you even just like Me.

Source taken from Stream in the desert