Tag: meekness

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves”

 

 

Jas 1:19  Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

Lay apart all filthiness – The word here rendered filthiness, occurs nowhere else in the New Testament, It means properly filth; and then is applied to evil conduct considered as disgusting or offensive. Sin may be contemplated as a wrong thing; as a violation of law; as evil in its nature and tendency, and therefore to be avoided; or it may be contemplated as disgusting, offensive, loathsome. The particular reference in these passages is to the reception of the truth; and the doctrine taught is, that a corrupt mind, a mind full of sensuality and wickedness, is not favorable to the reception of the truth. It is not fitted to see its beauty, to appreciate its value, to understand its just claims, or to welcome it to the soul. Purity of heart is the best preparation always for seeing the force of truth. The particular reference in these passages is to the reception of the truth; and the doctrine taught is, that a corrupt mind, a mind full of sensuality and wickedness, is not favorable to the reception of the truth. It is not fitted to see its beauty, to appreciate its value, to understand its just claims, or to welcome it to the soul. Purity of heart is the best preparation always for seeing the force of truth. (Barnes)

Instead of blaming God under our trials, let us open our ears and hearts to learn what he teaches by them. And if men would govern their tongues, they must govern their passions. The worst thing we can bring to any dispute, is anger. Here is an exhortation to lay apart, and to cast off as a filthy garment, all sinful practices. This must reach to sins of thought and affection, as well as of speech and practice; to every thing corrupt and sinful. We must yield ourselves to the word of God, with humble and teachable minds. Being willing to hear of our faults, taking it not only patiently, but thankfully. It is the design of the word of God to make us wise to salvation; and those who propose any mean or low ends in attending upon it, dishonour the gospel, and disappoint their own souls. (Henry)

Wherefore lay apart all filthiness,…. All manner of filthiness, both of flesh and spirit; all pride, vanity, wrath, malice, and evil speaking, under hearing the word: the allusion seems to be to a boiling pot, which casts up scum and filth, which must be taken off: and such is the spirit of wrathful men; it throws up the filth of haughtiness and pride, of anger, wrath, and wickedness, which must be taken off, and laid aside; or the word will not be heard to any profit, or advantage: (Gill)

Paul tells us to take every thought captive and search it out in light of God’s Word. James is telling us essentially the same thing but in our words spoken and actions taken. If there is neglect of God’s Word in our minds, then what is it that we use to govern our thoughts before they become words or actions? How are we to know our thoughts are wrong and contrary to what would honor and glorify Jesus Christ if we neglect to fill our minds with the living water and bread of life found in God’s Word? What fills our thoughts will come out in words and actions. Jesus said, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks”. 

I have many friends who are well versed in daily news both in the US and abroad, sports players and team stats, and other nuggets of information found on the internet. There is nothing wrong with knowing or searching out this information, but when it consumes our thoughts at the expense of time for God’s Word then the outcome is that which does not honor and glorify Jesus Christ. God’s Word profits the soul of those who search it for understanding, wisdom, and purpose in life. Our purpose on this side of eternity is to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all thoughts, words, and actions. 

Does knowing the latest news or team scores or internet influencers change in any single way what you are going to do today or tomorrow? For the most part, it will not. It will, however, occupy your mind. It may make you happy, sad, angry, fearful, hateful, confused, worrisome, lazy, boastful, arrogant, proud, envious, jealous, etc….. 

News outlets bring the news, or what they deem as news, (what you need to know and how you should think) -do it for their profit.

Internet influencers (what you need to know and how you should think) – do it for their profit. 

God’s Word (what you need to know and how you should think) – is given for our profit, eternal life, joy, peace, comfort, refuge, hope, reliance, strength, wisdom, knowledge, understanding, etc…..

What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul? Time spent in God’s Word profits our souls and is never wasted. Can we say the same for the other stuff we allow into our minds?

46.x. “Wilderness” – 11.c. “Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?”

 

Num 12:3-9  Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth. And suddenly the LORD said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting.” And the three of them came out. And the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward. And he said, “Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the LORD make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them, and he departed.

 Psalms 147:6    The LORD lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground.

 Psalms 149:4    For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.

 Matthew 5:5   “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

 Matthew 21:5   “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”

 James 3:13    Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.

 1 Peter 3:4    but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.

  Opposition from our near relations, and from religious friends, is most painful. But this is to be looked for, and it will be well if in such circumstances we can preserve the gentleness and meekness of Moses. Moses was thus fitted to the work he was called to. God not only cleared Moses, but praised him. Moses had the spirit of prophecy in a way which set him far above all other prophets. (Henry)

Moses, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth; being seldom angry, and when he was, it was generally, if not always, when the honour of God was concerned, and not on account of his own person and character; though it must not be said of him that he was perfect in this respect, or free from passion, or from blame at any time on account of it, but, when compared with others, he was the meekest man that ever lived; whereby he became the fittest person to have to do with such a peevish, perverse, and rebellious people as the Israelites were, whom no other man could well have bore with. (Gill)

The basis of the complaint of Miriam and Aaron was essentially, “What’s so special about Moses?” God here explained exactly what was so special about him. Most prophets receive revelation through a dream or in a vision, but God spoke with Moses face to face. As much as Miriam and Aaron did not want to recognize it, Moses did have a unique calling and equipping from the LORD. They did not speak against Moses as the leader of Israel as much as they spoke against Moses the servant of God.  Miriam and Aaron should have been afraid to speak against Moses because their criticism was prompted by their own self-interest; they were jealous of all the attention Moses was receiving and wanted some of it for themselves. (Guzik)

31.u. “For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

 

Matthew 7:24  “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

 Luke 6:47-49     Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like:  he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.  But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”

 Job 28:28    And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”

 Psalms 111:10    The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!

 Proverbs 10:8    The wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to ruin.

 Psalms 119:130    The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.

 Proverbs 14:8    The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way, but the folly of fools is deceiving.

 James 3:13     Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.

 1 Corinthians 3:11   For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

 In Jesus’ illustration of the two builders, each house looked the same from the outside. The real foundation of our life is usually hidden and is only proven in the storm, and we could say that the storms come from both heaven (rain) and earth (floods). 

“The wise and the foolish man were both engaged in precisely the same avocations, and to a considerable extent achieved the same design; both of them undertook to build houses, both of them persevered in building, both of them finished their houses. The likeness between them is very considerable.” (Spurgeon)

Jesus warns us that the foundations of our lives will be shaken at some time or another, both now (in trials) and in the ultimate judgment before God. Jesus may have had in mind an Old Testament passage: When the whirlwind passes by, the wicked is no more, but the righteous has an everlasting foundation. Time and the storms of life will prove the strength of one’s foundation, even when it is hidden. We may be surprised when we see who has truly built upon the good foundation and who has built upon the bad foundation. 

 Merely hearing God’s Word isn’t enough to provide a secure foundation. It is necessary that we are also doers of His Word. If we are not, we commit the sin that will surely find us out, the sin of doing nothing and great will be our fall.

Yet no one can read this without seeing that they have not, do not, and will not ever completely do them. Even if we do them in a general sense (in which we should), the revelation of the Kingdom of God in the Sermon on the Mount drives us back again and again as needy sinners upon our Savior. “The Mount of ethical enunciation reveals the need for the Mount of the Cross.” (Morgan)

30.t. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

 

Matthew 5:7  “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

 Psalms 37:26   He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing.

Psalms 112:4 Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the LORD delivers him;

 Proverbs 11:17    A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself.

 Proverbs 14:21    Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.

 Proverbs 19:17   Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will repay him for his deed.

 Daniel 4:27    Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.”

 Micah 6:8   He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

 Colossians 3:12     Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,

 James 3:17     But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

 Hebrews 4:16     Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

When this beatitude addresses those who will show mercy, it speaks to those who have already received mercy. It is mercy to be emptied of your pride and brought to poverty of spirit. It is mercy to be brought to mourning over your spiritual condition. It is mercy to receive the grace of meekness and to become gentle. It is mercy to be made hungry and thirsty after righteousness. Therefore, this one who is expected to show mercy is one who has already received it. The merciful one will show it to those who are weaker and poorer. The merciful one will always look for those who weep and mourn. The merciful one will be forgiving to others, and always looking to restore broken relationships. The merciful one will be merciful to the character of other people, and choose to think the best of them whenever possible. The merciful one will not expect too much from others. The merciful one will be compassionate to those who are outwardly sinful. The merciful one will have a care for the souls of all men. If you want mercy from others – especially God – then you should take care to be merciful to others.

To be merciful is a choice. We have a choice on how we act towards and treat others. What is bouncing around in your head when given an opportunity to show mercy. I was right and have been wronged. I was cheated. I was not chosen. I was cursed at. I was not listened to. I was not invited. I was not asked. You are wrong. You are lazy. It is your own fault. You have two legs and two arms – use them. You choose to live like this. The list of things we allow to bounce around in our head when we are in a situation that should or could allow us to show mercy could go on and on. The fact is that we don’t spend a single day whereby we could show mercy to someone. Why should we, because God showed mercy and grace on us while we were still sinners.  He sent His Son to die for our sins so that we would have eternal life. We did nothing deserving this grace and mercy. It was out of the love of God who reached out to a lost and fallen world. Rejecting to show mercy when opportunities arise says a lot about the condition of the heart of the soul. To recognize and understand that you were given mercy when you deserved none opens up our heart and mind to choose to show mercy in the like matter. Why? Because Jesus Christ is honored and glorified.  There is no other reason. When our heart, mind, and soul desire to honor and glorify Jesus Christ we will continue to find opportunities to show grace, mercy, and love.

30. r. “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,”

 

Matthew 5:5  “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

 Psalms 25:9   He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.

 Isaiah 29:19    The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the LORD, and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.

 Psalms 149:4    For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.

 1 Peter 3:4    but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.

 Psalms 69:32   When the humble see it they will be glad; you who seek God, let your hearts revive.

 Psalms 37:11    But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.

 Colossians 3:12   Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,

In the vocabulary of the ancient Greek language, the meek person was not passive or easily pushed around. The main idea behind the word “meek” was strength under control, like a strong stallion that was trained to do the job instead of running wild. To be meek means to be willing to submit and control self-worth, pride, anger in a quiet, patient, long-suffering, gentle, peaceful, and humble way. It would be nearly  impossible for a person to purposefully be meek for the purpose of being meek. Being meek does not mean being passive or easily pushed around. It is more like a totally strong and capable, but who submits to be meek. He is trained to be meek instead of allowing hate, anger, and pride to rule his actions. It is more than personal restraint of the use of physical power, might, and strength or mental reasoning, knowledge, and wisdom. There is a deeper purpose, driver, and reason behind this meekness. It is more like the reason for being meek is so over-powering that these other displays of emotion and action are not even a thought. This is the life of those who have a soul deep desire to honor and glorify Jesus Christ. This ever growing desire permeates deeper and deeper into the heart, soul, and mind. It is displayed in those who want to grow in the knowledge and understanding of the grace, mercy, and love of Jesus Christ. There is godly strength in meekness. The normal worldly and fleshly reactions and thoughts, over time, do not even surface anymore. The over powering love to honor and glorify Jesus Christ smothers these desires. Oh, that we were so desiring and wanted to grow in meekness, gentleness, kindness, forgiveness, grace, mercy, and love.

29.n. “Put on the new self”

 

Colossians 3:12  Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

 Ephesians 4:24   and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

 Colossians 3:10     and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

God has chosen the Christian, and chosen him to be something special in His plan. “Chosen” should be taken both as a comfort and as a destiny to fulfill. Compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience all have to do with relationships between us and others. We are to intentionally and purposefully put on these attributes of godly living for the single purpose of honoring and glorifying Jesus Christ. We are to govern how we interact and treat others. We do this by being able to distinguish that which is worldly and fleshly reactions and only serve self-interests and self-worth, from that which is honoring and glorifying Jesus Christ. 

Humility is the “parent” of both meekness and long-suffering. Meekness shows how humility will effect my actions towards others; I will not dominate, manipulate, or coerce for my own ends, even if I have the power and the ability. Long-suffering shows how humility will effect my reaction towards others; I will not become impatient, short, or filled with resentment towards the weaknesses and sins of others. (Guzik)

We do well to continually check our actions and thoughts towards others by being sensitive to the quiets whispers of the Holy Spirit leading us toward that which honors and glorifies Jesus Christ.

21.q. “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!”

1 Corinthians 1:10  I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.

 1 Peter 3:8-9   Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.

 Romans 12:16  Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.

 James 3:13-18   Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.  But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.  This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.  For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.  But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.  And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

 Ephesians 4:31   Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

 Romans 16:17   I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions

 Psalms 133:1    Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!

What does it mean to have or be in unity?  (Harmony, cooperation, agreement, solidarity, peace, cohesion, wholeness) What does it mean to not have or be out of unity? (conflict, strife, friction, disagreement, war, dispute, controversy, quarreling)  We have all seen or been in occasion to witness unity and as well, disunity.  If you think back to those times it is easy to see that when you were part of unity, what you were part of was fulfilling and gave meaning and purpose.  Each day was looked forward to, to be part of.  People seemed to be determined to set aside their personal biases, desires, and wants for the greater good of the whole.  There was no one stirring up division.  There was no one casting doubt.  There was no one whining.  

We also have been part of a group that did not have harmony.  Every day was a chore to face. Friction, discontent, bickering, and controversy at the end of the day led to mental and physical exhaustion.  There always seemed to be someone to stir the pot of conflict or someone who would throw gas on a little ember.  These people mostly stood in the background and never exposed themselves but rather moved on the fringes and would do their work little by little.  

Paul was made aware of the present status of the Corinthian church.  It could have been by a delegation sent to inquire about questions they were facing.  It could have been by messenger or letter.  Paul had to have been broken-hearted to hear or read of what the congregation had come to.  We know by this verse that there was disunity and rather than address the issues causing it he addresses the real issue which was the disunity its self. 

Unity takes effort, time, patience, love, grace, mercy, and at times allowing yourself to be wronged.  We all like to be in unity and cooperation but do we really work at it.  We can clearly see what happens when there is no effort given.  Sometimes we may think unity and compromise is the other person bending to our way of thinking and us giving no ground.  Certainly, in the essentials of the Christian faith, there is no room for compromise.  Most issues are not about the essentials they are about the non-essentials.  These cause more expressed division and conflict than there should be.  

We need to keep our minds clear of the examples we see in government officials, corporations, and many others who act as though they are 2-year-olds throwing temper tantrums.  These leaders are not trying to restore unity but rather get people to only think their way, do it their way, speak their way.  They give no room for discussion, differing opinions, or debate.  We see it so much that it appears this is how people are to act.  How is anything ever accomplished when the maturity of 2-year-olds is the guiding principle for creating unity?  It won’t happen and neither should this behavior and thinking be allowed in our minds to affect our church and witness to an unsaved world.

I will give you a new heart

Psalms 119:33   Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end.

Isaiah 54:13     All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children.

John 6:45     It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—

Job 28:28     And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”

Proverbs 2:5-6     then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.  For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

John 7:17    If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.

James 1:5    If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

James 3:13-18    Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.  But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.  This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.  For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Ezekiel 36:26-27     And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.  And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

God’s word profits the heart, mind, and soul of those who desire and seek to fully and humbly serve, honor, follow and obey God.  To others who reject it, it is nothing but a fairytale and those who desire and seek it are weak and powerless.

What is it that we want our children to know about life?  Do we want them to see the power of God through our lives? Or, do we want them to see?  A watered down version of luke warm service to Him.  A life that is neither hot nor cold for God?  A life without substance for Him?  A life that only comes to God when trouble or untimely circumstances arise?

Note the depth of the heart of this Palmist – “Teach me”   It is very hard to learn if you do not want to be taught.  It is even harder when you choose to believe the worldly understanding of what it means to follow God.

It seems as though the meaning of what a christian life should be continues to erode away.  When is the last time you heard “SIN” being talked about?  When is the last time  God was proclaimed as the LORD of your life?  When was the last time His word was hungered for knowledge and understanding of Him and not just for a quick refresher of His promises?  When was the last time He was spoken about freely, unhindered, unashamed?  When was the last time He was spoken about outside of the circle of church friends?

I was recently at a field trial and hunting dog training through the weekend with others from across the country.  12 of us and on Sunday morning the trainer calls us altogether out in front of the barn and begins to speak about His faith and what God has been doing in his life that morning.  His faith was not something that went back to some point in time and done, but rather was active and very real.  He spoke about how is heart and mind were in a very grouchy mood when he got an email from a friend who nearly died at his place a year ago.  He told us how God spoke to his heart about keeping things in perspective and to be thankful rather than grumpy or grouchy.

I tell you this because God was real in His life.  He wanted to be taught and he was listening for and to God.

Seek to be taught and choose to obey.

2017 “Year of His Word”

“How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you.”

Psalms 19:7  The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

Romans 12:2   Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

James 1:21-25 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.  But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.  For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.  But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

Colossians 3:16  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

2 Timothy 3:15-17  and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Isaiah 3:10-11  Tell the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds.  Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for what his hands have dealt out shall be done to him.

2 John 1:8  Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds. Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for what his hands have dealt out shall be done to him.

Revelation 14:13   And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!”

All of these verses tell us the importance of God’s word, it dwelling in us, and following what it speaks to our heart.   Do you ever wonder why it isn’t permeating every aspect of our thoughts and actions? There is a direct correlation to time spent in His word and it having an effect in our lives.  How can we encourage others with words of hope, peace, joy, rest and His perfect love if His word is not written on our heart?  We are told to train up ourselves in the way we should go, but what is used for this training needs to be deeper than a sermon once per week or things partially remembered from years gone by.  Do not let 2017 be a year of neglect in His word.  Commit to discipline yourself to reading it each day asking God to use it to speak to your heart and use you for His purpose.