Bible Verse: Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22
Scripture Reading: Matthew 28:18-20; Hebrews 10:24-25; 1 John 3:18
Some guys can eat whatever they want and never gain a pound. If that’s you, please know that the rest of us have lots of feelings about that, the most prominent being jealousy.
For most of us, we must keep a deliberate eye on things. When our calorie intake exceeds our activity output, we put on the pounds.
Ideally, of course, we know better – we know that our weight should remain constant, and that whatever energy we take in should be matched by whatever it is we expend. Gaining weight is our body’s way of telling us that we are out of balance. Losing too much weight tells us we are out of balance in the other direction.
This physical reality parallels our spiritual life. As previously discussed, we should be nourishing ourselves (taking in the Word and the Spirit); however, we should also be exerting ourselves (obeying the Word and following God’s leading).
If we skimp on taking in the Word or being filled with the Spirit, we become spiritually malnourished. We lack motivation to do the things of God, and we lose our drive to be a force for good in this world.
On the other side, we can take in lots of Bible, spend much time in prayer, seek His presence diligently – and never do anything more. We learn lots of things but never get around to obedience and action.
Scripture won’t allow us to stay there. Ultimately, the Word and the Spirit come to lead us to act. When we feast on the Word and drink in the Spirit without action, we become spiritually pudgy. We get sluggish, self-indulgent, and never metaphorically get off our Barcaloungers to move into obedience and action.
The answer, of course, is to find the healthy balance – to be nourished by the Word and Spirit regularly, and to let that lead us to live out what we are learning in godly action and obedience.
To kickstart your spiritual life, take whatever you learned from Scripture today, and go do it. God will meet you in your obedience.
Prayer: Father, grant me the wisdom to understand Your will and Your ways, and the strength and courage to live out what You are calling me to.
Reflection: What is something that you read in God’s Word recently? What is a practical step you can take to act on it today?
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