“‘Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it – he will be blessed in what he does.’” James 1:22-25
This passage always unnerves me. Too often, I am like that man who looks at a mirror and then walks away, completely forgetting his face. After a lifetime of church services and reading devotionals, I have to admit, I have walked away from far too many lessons unchanged.
This month at Faith Lifts, we have had so many inspiring and insightful posts about purpose. I have been challenged by our different contributors, as well as in my own reflection on what God’s purpose is for my life.
But I don’t want to be walking away from that mirror, foolishly forgetting all I have learned.
So today I thought perhaps we could each take time to reflect on what God is revealing to us about purpose.
What will I be working on remembering? As I mentioned in some of my posts this month — I believe our primary purpose is to know and love the Lord.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Mark 12:30
Knowing God and developing an intimate relationship is the most important thing I need to do on earth. Through that relationship I can love my neighbour, share Christ with others, be a godly wife, and raise my child to also know and love Him.
I have learned this lesson throughout my life. But I constantly need to refocus my priorities and get my eyes fixed back on Him.
What is my action plan so that I don’t walk away, instantly distracted and forgetting what I have learned?
I need to spend more time in the Word. There were times in my life when I could never have turned out my light at night before I read my Bible or a devotional. Now I stumble to bed too tired or too lazy.
(My friend has started bring her Bible in to the washroom so that every time she goes in she picks it up and reads a verse or a passage. But I don’t think bathroom reading is for me.)
So I am going to try to pick up my Bible and read a passage or verse when I am blog visiting. Not just when I need a reference or some inspiration to write a post, but daily when I am checking my email or my blog roll. If I make time for my earthly friends, I think I should make time for God!
Dear Lord,
I give so little time to you, when really you should be my life’s focus. Please forgive me. I know I will fail again and again, thank you for loving me and letting me crawl back onto your knee every time I slip down and wander away.
Discussion: What is God revealing to you about your purpose? What are some action steps you can take to help keep those lessons firmly planted in your life?
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I’ve done heaps of things to try to keep me focussed on His Word. I receive daily devotionals via email, belong to a Christian Business Womens Network group online which is very chatty so that always prompts me every time a new post hits my inbox.
Some of my activities (almost daily) mean connecting with His people so that serves as another reminder. But still, if those reminders don’t come, how much is habit? Some reading is but often it’s through necessity - things that are happening in my life and I need His help. I do have a perpetual calendar on my desk that has a daily bible verse and mini sermon and I read that every day. And I know that He has placed me into a role where I am constantly helping others - His plan for me. That I am happy about.
I am almost ashamed to post this, knowing how many times in the past He has shown me the same thing and how many times I have failed to learn the lesson. But there it is again, and I pray that this time I can make progress toward the goal.
Janice–this is a great challenge to think of different ways to stay focused on God. At one point, I had a few of my Bibles or devotionals in different places to encourage me to pick them up–in the kitchen, the living room, and my bedroom. Maybe I’ll think about trying that again.
I go to http://studylight.org and I click on daily reading. There I can read a daily portion of God’s word in whatever translation that I wish. I can click on certain verses to find out more, go deeper, or read a devotion about that topic. It’s an awesome way to connect with God’s word.
Spending time in the Word is key and letting His Word be imprinted on my heart so the Holy Spirit can be at work in making me a “new creation” is so important. I spend most of my time reading the Word at night, when things are quiet and I can dig a little deeper. I do have to watch my time so that I have the time I need with the Lord and the strength to go through the next day. Be a doer . . . easier said than done at times.
Wonderful posts by everyone. Lately the Lord has been convicting me to speak out more about Him in my blog and my daily relationships. To spread the good news about Jesus to others. So much is happening in the world today and even our country and we need to be prepared more for a big battle coming. Arming ourselves in God’s word and being prepared to stand up for Christ even if we become persecuted for it. Not just standing for what we believe in but being able to tell other’s why we believe the way we do.
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