| A Millstone or a Milestone? |
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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. |
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—James 1:25 |
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Some people see the Christian life as rules and regulations and hardships, but God's law is the law of liberty, which means that it is not a list of do's and don'ts, but rather wills and won'ts. Unless God's Word has made a change in our lives, it has not really entered our lives. God's Word becomes a millstone if we don't make it a milestone. In James 1, we find three tests that can help us determine whether we are truly spiritual.
First, a truly spiritual person will control his or her tongue (see verses 19–20). We may take pride in the fact that we are not immoral or violent, but we can inflict pain on others by wounding them with our words. David wrote, "I will guard my ways, lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle, while the wicked are before me" (Psalm 39:1).
Second, a truly spiritual person will care about others (see verse 27). Jesus said that when we give a drink to strangers, invite them into our homes, clothe them, or visit them when they are sick or in prison, we are doing it for Him and to Him (see Matthew 25:34–40).
Third, a truly spiritual person will not be polluted by the world (see verse 27). As 1 John 2:16 says, "For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world." We want to keep ourselves from being corrupted by this world.
If we are truly spiritual men and women, then our good works will be clearly evident.
Have Pastor Greg's devotionals blessed you? Write to let him know at Greg@harvest.org!
©2007 Harvest Ministries; All Rights Reserved.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000 |
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