It can be easy to spend time reading the Bible, journalling what we feel God’s saying to us, and hearing teaching at church or online, but it can be challenging to then put those things into action. In James we’re told: ‘Don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says.’ If God’s showing us something we need to change in ourselves, let’s be proactive in making changes. If He’s telling us to step out of our comfort zone and follow His call, let’s make sure we do it. If something in the Bible stands out to us, let’s incorporate it into our daily lives. James goes on to say that people who hear the Word and then do it, will be blessed. People who are willing to change, and to follow God’s commands in their lives, will experience the blessing of God. This echoes the message in Psalm 119. ‘Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord. Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart – they do no wrong but follow his ways’ (vv.1-3 NIV). We shouldn’t read something in the Bible and then forget about it. Instead we should meditate on it, memorise it, pray about it, and think about how it can change our lives. We can often find it hard to make changes in our lives. Perhaps we’re comfortable with things as they are, perhaps we don’t feel strong enough to change, or perhaps we don’t feel like we should have to change. But as followers of Jesus, we should be aiming to become more and more like Him. That means we need to get stuck in to our Bibles, and putting what we read into action.

What Now?

Pick a chapter of the Bible. Read it through. Write out any verses that stand out to you. Then ask God to help you use what you’ve read to bring change in your life.