“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
— James 1:22
When bad things happen, we often pray more and eagerly search our Bibles for answers. That’s exactly the right thing to do, but we might not like what we find. The bully on the bus who trips you? The Word says you are to pray for those who persecute you and pick on you, but not take revenge. How about the classmate who makes nasty remarks or teases you with unkind names? The Bible says we are to speak the truth IN LOVE to this person, not call her names back. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you’re behaving like a Christian just by reading the Bible. You must also do what it says. Pray for that bully. Deal with that nasty classmate, but use kind words.
Don’t be someone God says this about: “I called you so often, but you didn’t come. I reached out to you, but you paid no attention. You ignored my advice and rejected the correction I offered” (Proverbs 1:24 – 25 NLT). Instead, be determined to put into practice what you read. You won’t do it perfectly, and that’s okay. But as best you can, carry out what you believe God is telling you to do in a situation. Then see what marvelous changes God makes in your life.
More To Explore: Matthew 7:21 and James 2:14 – 20
Girl Talk: When faced with a tough situation, do you turn to God? Do you read the Bible and do what it says?
God Talk: “Lord, thank you for giving me your Word. Help me to read it and obey, instead of what I want to do. Amen.”
From Girlz Rock by Kristi Holl