How Can I Help Today

12.15.14

James 1.25 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. - St. James (ESV)

Today, the thought that crossed my mind as I read was: God, how can I help today – what will You have me do? The answer simply: do the word; be a doer of the word.

My problem mostly is being a hearer of the Word. I read, I go to church, I blog; and I won’t say, I won’t do; but I will say I don’t do. I’m not consistent in doing the Word. I think there’s a fine line between living as God beckons we ought, and trying to perform to make ourselves feel better.

We hear sermon after sermon after sermon about what we’re supposed to do and be and the difficulty is simply doing whatever we do from the heart. That’s difficult!? Well, yes it’s difficult because it’s done from rote, not from the heart. The heart is where we live. The heart will either commend us or condemn us. The heart is who we really are and what’s really going on inside. The telltale is the outcome of our life: hearing or doing.

A hearer hears. He listens. He agrees. He nods his head and speaks his amen’s. But a doer does and asks: God, how can I help today? In my world we have a saying that goes: See the people. It is no different in the life of the believer: see the people and with God’s direction: help them, encourage them, comfort them, care for them, bless them with a cup of coffee, or take them to lunch or something like that. Our life in Christ is to be about others – as His life was for us.

Father, today may my life be that of doing – may I see with spiritual eyes and with a loving heart and do as You enable. It is not about my performance – it’s about my heart. And may my heart be the Seat of Your love for others. Help me to help today. How can I, as a doer, help today? Amen.