“Be doers of the word and not hearers only.” James 1:22 NKJV
“What God says is never optional.”
My thoughts today are that “actions speak loudest.”
Someone was an astute observer of human nature when they wrote, “When all is said and done, more is said than ever done.” That can be a problem in everyday life, can’t it? Marriages are weakened by commitments not always kept. Parents promise things that even the youngest child remembers were not done. Friends fully intend to make time for one another, but schedules get in the way and that never happens. Your spiritual life is similarly affected by verbal intentions that do not become consistent practice. Giving “lip service” to truth becomes a disservice to God.
The Bible says, “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only . . if you keep looking steadily into God’s perfect Law – the Law that sets you free – and if you do what (God) says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.” James 1:22 NKJV/1:25 NLT. What God says is never optional; obedience there is the key to blessing. He means for His words to govern and direct your everyday life. When God speaks into your life through the Bible, or quietly within your heart, or through the Godly counsel of others, it is not merely to provide you better or more information for your thoughtful consideration; God speaks specifically for your instruction and expects your obedience.
This is still good advice, “So when you make a promise to God, don’t delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools. Keep all the promises you make to Him . . there is ruin in a flood of empty words. Fear God instead.” Read Ecclesiastes 5:3-7 NLT. I think the principal of that counsel includes others as well as God; your family and friends deserve no less.
When your actions fail to confirm your words, you diminish the value and influence of every other word you speak. It is your reliable performance of what you profess to believe or say you’ll do, not your promises, that most persuades others. I remember my Dad saying on more than one occasion, “A man is only as good as His word.” If you say it, do it; if you don’t mean it, don’t say it! I grew up learning that words must be verified by actions. That kind of man or woman is described by God as being a person “who swears to his own hurt, but changes not.” Psalm 15:4 NKJV. You should be that kind of person.
My prayer for you today is that your words always have integrity.