Bible Passage for Meditation: James 1:21-27
Key Verse: “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” James 1:22
When I was a young mother raising my children, I learned through some hard experiences that reading my Bible was the only way I could maintain a real connection with Jesus. When I woke up late and didn’t make time for Him, I would find myself on a downward spiral that left me with no power to withstand temptation. Thankfully, God taught me that spending time in His Word is my lifeline to heaven.
However, much as I love God’s Word, “Merely to hear or to read the Word is not enough. He who desires to be profited by the Scriptures must meditate upon the truth that has been presented to him. By earnest attention and prayerful thought, he must learn the meaning of the words of truth, and drink deep of the spirit of the holy oracles” (Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 59-60).
In the flyleaf of my Bible, I penned a similar thought. It says, ‘The mere hearing of sermons Sabbath after Sabbath, the reading of the Bible through and through, or the explanation of it verse by verse [all good things to do as a disciple of Christ] will not benefit us or those who hear us unless we bring the truths of the Bible into our own individual experience” (The Ministry of Healing, p. 514).
James 1:22 tells us, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”
And here is the secret. We must not only read the Bible, we must not only meditate upon it, but we must apply it to our every day life. These are the keys that will unlock the power that’s found in God’s wonderful Book!
Heart Prayer Challenge
Dear Heavenly Father, as we enjoy another Sabbath, help us not just to listen to what the preacher has said today. Help us not just to meditate upon the words written on the pages of our Bible. Rather, help us know how to make these words part of our every day life, for that’s why You gave them to us. You want us to be doers of the Word and not just hearers. Teach us what this means as we continue to grow and as we continue to pray for our church. Amen.
By Sue Gilmore, a guest contributor from Michigan.
