live it!
January 1, 2009
The value of the Bible consists not only in knowing it but obeying it.
READ: Ezekiel 33:30-33
You are to them as a very lovely song . . . they hear your words, but they do not do them. —Ezekiel 33:32
Each year, one of my goals is to read the entire Bible. While listing it among my New Year’s resolutions, I noticed a bookmark on my desk. On one side was a brief appeal for people to take in foster children. On the other side were these words referring to that appeal: “Don’t read it. Live it. Real children. Real stories. Real life.” The people who produced the bookmark knew how easily we absorb information without acting on it. They wanted people to respond.
Regular intake of God’s Word is a worthy practice, but it’s not an end in itself. The prophet Ezekiel spoke to an audience who loved to listen but refused to act. The Lord said to Ezekiel: “Indeed you are to them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they do not do them” (33:32).
Jesus said: “Whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matt. 7:24).
How will each of us read the Bible this year? Will we read it quickly to achieve the goal of getting through it? Or will we read it with the aim of doing what it says?
Don’t just read it. Live it! — David C. McCasland
Source: Our Daily Bread
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I was at a children’s camp in November 2008 and the camp’s motto was “Know The Truth, Speak The Truth, Live The Truth!” Also, I am reminded of James 1:22,”… be doers of the word, and not hearers only.” It is my prayer that I will not only grow in knowledge of the truth and learn to speak the truth, but also to live according to His Word. I want to continue to grow in greater intimacy with Him, falling in love with Him once again.