James 1:21-25: Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of 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 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.
AS BELIEVERS, we are all GIFTED and TALENTED, EQUIPPED and EMPOWERED to do everything GOD called and created us to do, for His glory and honor, but only the FAITHFUL endure, only OVERCOMERS prevail, because in the race of faith, JESUS judges us well on how we FINISH, not on how we START.
As NEW CREATIONS IN CHRIST, we are the LIVING TREES in the KINGDOM GARDEN of GOD called upon to MULTIPLY and PRODUCE after GOD’s KIND, bearing the FRUIT of HIS SPIRIT: love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, kindness, and self-control, and we are known and will have to give an account before the RIGHTEOUS JUDGE JESUS of the fruit we bear on earth, whether it be good or bad.
Regardless of who we are and where we’ve come from, GOD calls us to be DOERS, not HEARERS only; He calls us to be EXTRAORDINARY, ACTIVE, UNCOMMON, not ORDINARY, PASSIVE, and MEDIOCRE. But on the HIGHWAY to HEAVEN, on this JOURNEY to ETERNAL LIFE, there are usually two kinds of believers: DOERS and HEARERS, DRIVERS and PASSENGERS.
The DOERS are the FAITHFUL DRIVERS who usually have read the entire MANUFACTURER’s HANDBOOK—the HOLY BIBLE—and ACT boldly, courageously, on GOD’s WORD, HIS COMMANDS, and GO to fulfill JESUS' GREAT COMMISSION—TRUSTING in the LORD with all their heart, leaning not on their own understanding, acknowledging Him in all their ways, and letting Him direct their path. Instead of wandering around aimlessly without directions or guidance, following someone else, or taking detours and getting lost, DOERS are the FEARLESS DRIVERS who let JESUS, the SON of GOD, be their LIFETIME GPS (GOD Positioning System), mapping out their daily route, and they listen to the still, small voice of HOLY SPIRIT as He guides them to their destination, giving them instructions on a need-to-know basis, until they overcome all their obstacles and challenges and finally get HOME—in the Eternal Presence of GOD.
In contrast, HEARERS are the INACTIVE PASSENGERS who may have read some of the MANUFACTURER’s HANDBOOK—the HOLY BIBLE—but who often SIT and OBSERVE, without really participating or acting on GOD’s WORD, HIS COMMANDS. These are the shot-gun riders, the believers who often tag along for fun or company, and usually are at the mercy of the driver in terms of the destination, because they have little or no choice, control, or power to make any real impact in the current situation. Generally, all they can do is SIT STILL, LOOK OUT THE WINDOW, COMMENT ON THE SCENERY, the WEATHER, the ROAD CONDITIONS, the DRIVER's PERFORMANCE, or BE QUIET, letting someone else determine their destination or fate, and even if they do make suggestions or give directions, the final decision on what to do or where to go rests with the driver who sits in the seat of authority, because the passenger doesn’t have control of the steering wheel or the ability to redirect the driver without his or her consent.
In relation to the BIBLE though, HEARERS ONLY are those who never really APPLY GOD’s WORD to their own lives and situations; they don’t RECEIVE or APPROPRIATE GOD’s PROMISES or BELIEVE GOD’s WORD is RELEVANT today with respect to the challenges they are facing, and they often don’t see how GOD’s PRINCIPLES back in biblical times can benefit them on their job, in their communities, in their schools, or in their families, and this mindset speaks to UNBELIEF and DOUBT, not FAITH and CONFIDENCE, especially in GOD, who is UNCHANGING—the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
But GOD never wavers; He never compromises: He wants us to be DOERS of the WORD, not just HEARERS of the WORD, and He wants us to be DRIVERS in the GREAT COMMISSION, sharing the GOSPEL of HIS KINGDOM, not merely PASSENGERS, sitting silent and still, buckled and bound, completely powerless, useless in ministry, soul-winning, and outreach.
And here’s the truth, even in GOD’s WORD: Some read history; some write history; some make history. The readers READ history; the writers WRITE history; the hearers HEAR history; and the doers MAKE history, like JESUS, living and revealing HIS STORY: GOD’s.
These are the real questions though: What’s OUR story? Are we Hearers or Doers? Drivers or Passengers? Movers, shakers, history makers? Or readers, waiters, church pew savers?
