James 1

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 observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. ‭‭ James‬ ‭1:22-25‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

The Bible gives us many commands which we are meant to learn, obey, and apply to our everyday lives. God did not give us His written Word so that our heads could be full of information, but instead so that our hearts and souls could be transformed into the Christ-like beings He originally created us to be.  God’s Word by its very nature changes us to make us like Christ. “For the Word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). The Message translation of the Bible says: “If you read what God has written, think about it, pray through it, but don’t allow it to change you, you’re missing a big point.” For God to share His heart with us through the Bible, only to have us do nothing about it, shows Him that we are choosing ourselves over Him. James tells us plainly, “Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (verse 22). The amazing thing about reading the Bible is that as we spend time with God, the words actually become a part of us. Similar to the way that relationships with other people change us, this also happens to us when we develop a genuine relationship with God through prayer and spending time in His Word. After a while, soaking in God’s Word leads to us living out those words without even thinking about them. This offers a tremendous sense of freedom – from our attempts to save ourselves, and from the bondage of sin. “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light”  (Matthew 11:28-30). The Bible and its message help us to leave behind things that falsely seem to offer pleasure, but fail and leave us empty.  God’s Word does so much more than that. Jesus says in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

When we live out God’s Word, that is when we are truly living the abundant, blessed lives that we were created for.