Creatively DOING the Word of God!

This is the day that the Lord has made, I will REJOICE and be glad in it! It really is our choice to REJOICE or not. Think about God’s faithfulness and His blessing as you start this day, and take a moment to BE GLAD!

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for my dad. As I write this blog, I am in Little Rock in the hospital with my dad who had his spleen removed yesterday. I stayed the night in the waiting room with my Mom who checked on dad all throughout the night. He is in a lot of pain. My family and I were overwhelmed with the amount of support that we received yesterday. There were over 40 people who showed up for his surgery. He is a loved man, who has spent his entire life serving people. Please continue to pray for him as he recovers.

Throughout the night, (it is difficult to sleep in a waiting room) I meditated on what I was going to blog on today. My mind kept going back to James 1:22, one of my favorite verses:

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. James 1:22

Let’s talk about what James meant when he said, “But be ye doers of the word.” The word “doers” is taken from the Greek word poietes, the same Greek word used for a poet. This word carries with it the idea of creativity, such as a poet whose personality includes a creative flair. James is telling us that if we can’t easily think of a way to do what we have read and learned from the Word of God, we must get creative! We must find ways to do the Word.

Ephesians 2:10 is another place where a form of this word poietes is used. Paul writes, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works.” The word “workmanship” is the Greek word poiema, which comes from the same root word as poietes. This tells us that when we were saved, God put forth all His best efforts and creative powers to marvelously fashion and create us in Jesus Christ. Because the word poiema is used in Ephesians 2:10, it unmistakably means that God wielded His fullest, greatest, and most creative powers when we were born again. We weren’t just mildly saved; rather, God took us into His hands and marvelously made us new in Jesus Christ as He released His most powerful creative forces and made us a workmanship that would be worthy to bear His name.

Whether the word poietes is used to depict a poet, as mentioned above, or (in another form) to describe God’s creative power, as in Ephesians 2:10, it always depicts someone putting forth his fullest creative abilities to achieve something. Now James uses this word poietes in James 1:22 to tell us that we must put forth our fullest efforts and most creative abilities in doing what we have read and heard from the Word of God! We cannot passively hope that the Word becomes a part of our lives; we have to get creative and find ways to make the Word a practical part of our lives.

Thus, you could translate these words in James 1:22 to mean:

"If you can’t easily think of ways to do what you’ve read and heard preached, it’s time for you to get creative! Put all your heart and soul into finding a way to act on what you’ve heard.”

You could also translate it to read:

“It’s time for you to get creative in the ways you do the Word of God.”

It could be that you’re thinking, but I don’t know how to do what the Word tells me to do!

Don’t worry — the Lord isn’t short on creativity! If you will listen, the Holy Spirit will say, “Here’s an opportunity to apply what you’ve been hearing. Do it!”

If you have a heart to truly act on the Word of God, the Holy Spirit will show you ways to do it. He will speak to you as you MEDITATE on what you are reading and have read from the Word of God. REMEMBER, meditation is the process of DIGESTING the Word of God. It is where you PAUSE and think about what you have just read or heard. I hope and pray that you continue to make it your goal this year to READ THE BIBLE THROUGH in 2008. Many of you may have never accomplished this feat, but this is YOUR YEAR. It only takes FIFTEEN MINUTES A DAY to read the Bible through this year. I believe you can and WILL do it.

Then, as you read, meditate and MEMORIZE the Word of God, the Holy Spirit of God will show you CREATIVE ways to DO the Word of God.

Seek the Lord and allow Him to show you how:

• To pray for the sick.
• To share Jesus with your lost friends.
• To bake a cake and take it to the lady next door.
• To help your neighbor repair his car.

Spiritual maturity isn’t measured by the number of meetings you’ve attended, how many speakers you’ve heard, how many books you’ve read, or how many tapes you’ve listened to in the past year. You have to take that Word you’ve heard and find a way to make it work in your life. God is looking for people who actually do what they’ve learned from the Word of God! So if you can’t seem to think of practical ways to apply the Word to your life, ask the Holy Spirit to help you. Here’s one thing you can be sure of: The Holy Spirit is never short on ideas about how you can become a “doer” of the Word!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Lord, I ask You to help me think of new ways to do the Word of God. You have all the fresh ideas I’ll ever need, so I am looking to You to show me how to put the Word into practice in my life. You are full of creative power and fresh ideas, so please open my eyes and show me how I can serve, how I can bless someone else, or any other way I can become obedient to do the Word that has been revealed so powerfully to my life. I pray this in Jesus’ name!

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Have you asked the Holy Spirit to show you creative ideas for applying the Word to your life?

2. Can you think of specific people you could be serving and sharing the love of Jesus with? For instance, could you share Jesus with your lost friends, bake a cake for the lady next door, or help your neighbor repair his car?

3. What other ways can you become a “doer” of the Word that you have read and learned?

I pray that you have a wonderful, blessed day in the Lord as you STRIVE to be a “DOER” of the Word of God. Blessings!

Pastor Rusty

Today’s “THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR” reading:

January 16, 2008 Exodus 5:1-7:13

THIS WEEKS VERSE TO “HIDE IN YOUR HEART”: 2 Corinthians 1:4 (MESSAGE) He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us.

2 Corinthians 1:4 (KJV) Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

Bible Study Tools online:

www.studylight.org (This has different versions of the Bible for you to read from, as well as Audio Bible for you to listen to)
www.crosswalk.com/ (Different Devotionals. Some you can have sent to your email daily)
http://www.blueletterbible.org/ (Great study sight)
http://www.e-sword.net/ (My favorite. You can download Bibles, dictionaries, commentaries to your computer. I use this daily)
http://www.ibs.org/ (International Bible Society. Different translation of Bibles for you to read from)
http://www.findingtreasureinjarsofclay.blogspot.com/ (My wife’s online Bible Study)
www.wmfirstassembly.org/forum (Daily Bible reading, prayer request, etc. Laurie Adams (Associate Pastor Wife) developed and maintains)