Good morning! Today I’m thinking about how easy it is for us to get stuck in a routine. We begin to do things a certain way because we’ve always done them that way and we don’t even remember why!
When this happens we begin to lose the purpose of why we are doing something and instead end up just going through the motions.
There have been so many times in the morning as I open my Bible, that I begin reading and then after I’m halfway through a chapter, I realize that I don’t even know what I was reading. My mind began to wander, thinking about all the things I had to do, the engagements I had to be at, and wondering how I was ever going to fit in time to get some rest.
If we are not careful, we will continue through the chapter, say a quick prayer, and gain the feeling like we have checked off the box of spending time with Jesus. In reality, we just went through the motions without growing in our relationship with God.
“Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.”
James 1:23-24
If we read the Word of God without realizing what we read and applying it to our lives, we will remain unchanged while forgetting our true identity.
If we look in the mirror and see dirt on our face but do nothing about it, what good is that? That is what it is like when we ‘read’ God’s Word and don’t apply it to our lives!
I am almost embarrassed to admit this, but I have definitely looked at myself quickly in the mirror, walked away, and went back to look again because I forgot to look at something specific that I meant to look at before. I’m thinking I can’t be the only one LOL!
“But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.”
James 1:25
When we choose to find purpose through our relationship with God, there is a promise of blessing! Real TRANSFORMATION begins to happen when we do what God says instead of just skimming through as we think of other things!
Let’s be intentional about reading His Word and applying it to our lives to experience the fullness of life available through Jesus!
Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of Your Word! Help us to focus as we read it to pay attention to what You are saying to us! We want to be transformed by Your Word to live out Your purpose for our lives. In Jesus Name – AMEN!
Be Transformed 