"Live It"

Funny how the things we say,

Return to haunt us, come what may,

And, no, don’t mean like karma stuff,

‘Cause, Lord, that would get mighty rough.

No, what I mean is God does test,

And of course He always knows what’s best,

And, so two things in just one week,

I preached ‘em both, now grace I seek.

I preached the Good Lord’s healing touch,

And then got sick, got down and such,

Preached on praise in everything,

But see, I felt too bad to sing.

Will you trust Me when you’re sick?

Though you cannot hit a lick,

Will you praise Me when it’s bad,

And trust I’ll lead you, though you’re sad.

So this is how it is with me,

I preached on what I need, you see,

To do God’s word, the only way,

To walk with Him and always stay,

In the flow of God’s great Spirit,

Stay in His will, I mean right in it,

To eat and live God’s words we pray,

And live for Jesus everyday.

“Don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says…” (James 1:22, NLT)

The great challenge of life is in this verse. Can we actually do what God’s word says? Of course we can, and He will empower us, but it’s important that we understand what doing the word does not mean. It does not mean we agree with and believe it. It does not mean we have good intentions and plans about it. It does not even mean that we defend it and debate others about it. It means exactly what it says: that we actually do it. That may seem overwhelming because there is a lot of word to obey. But what it boils down to is doing the next thing you know God wants you to do. What it that, exactly? The specifics will be different for different people. But here are a few examples: It’s forgiving the person that hurt you, not tomorrow but today. It’s finding a quiet time to pray about your burdens. It’s reaching out to a lonely family member. It’s…well, you fill in the blank. God is leading us and not playing games. He wants us to know, and then do. The greatest praise to the Lord is when we do His will.

Lord, help us to do what Your word says, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Bill Anton, billantonstudios.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Bill, and God bless you.