November 18

Ezekiel 37:1-38:23, James 1:19-2:17, Psalm 117:1-2, Proverbs 28:1

Pray: Father, there are times when I wish I could sew my mouth shut! Remind me to listen before I speak. Help me to think things through in light of Your WORD before getting angry and saying things I will regret and that will damage rather than help others. And may I bite my tongue first and foremost when I’m listening to my spouse and my children. Help me to understand that well chosen words must be followed by deliberate actions in order for my faith to have real impact in my family and in this world.

Read: Read James’ exhortation about the relationship to hearing and doing. “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.” Is your “knowing” greater than your “doing”? When we don’t walk in what we know we become foolish or deceived. You can know about tithing but not be a tither. You will end up deceived. You can know about forgiveness but not show love to the person you have forgiven. Once again, you end up deceived. Knowing without doing is the height of foolishness.

Edify: Doers not hearers are right before God. Don’t let your knowledge of God and His ways become a stumbling block where you “run your mouth” but fail to do what you are talking about. We might like one political candidate over another. We might even espouse their record and virtues. But if we don’t go vote what good are we?

Practice: Practice doing what God says. Keep a journal. When God tells you to do something, write down what you are to do. Then write down when you have done it. And repeat what you did over and over again until it becomes a habit. Character, real Christian character, are good habits strung together that change how we think and what we do.