Do you find it easy to memorise Bible verses, or to quote large chunks of Scripture off by heart? Many of us would find it difficult, so when we come across someone who seems to know the Bible down to every last comma, we’re often impressed and want that skill too. But before we get too carried away, we need to remember that God doesn’t bless us for just reading His Word, or memorising it, or even being able to repeat it word for word in the original languages. God promises to bless those who put His Word into action. ‘Don’t just listen to God’s word…do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it’ (James 1:22-25 NLT). When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, Satan proved that even he had learned the Scriptures off by heart, but Jesus defeated him by putting the Scriptures into practice (take a look at Matthew 4:1-11). The knowledge of God’s Word is vitally important to us, but knowing what the Bible says can only take us so far. It’s when we apply those Scriptures that real change and real blessing comes. So let’s resolve to be not just ‘hearers’, but also ‘doers’ of God’s Word.

What Now?

Every time you read the Bible, have a think about ways to put what you’ve read into practice – you could even write down a couple of ideas. Ask God for His advice too.