06/07/2023
Picture this; you order something from the holy-land of Ikea. The wait is over, and that dresser you saw on Pinterest is finally on your doorstep. You open the box to see a 1,000 different parts and pieces. Wonderful. But hey, you consider yourself an honorary Ikea master-builder, so this should be easy-peasy. You grab the instructions and see the beautiful photo printed on top of what your piece will look like when it's finished and put together. You look back again at all those pieces and in one confident motion, you toss that instruction manual to the side.
We all know how this turns out, and it ends with a slightly lopsided dresser with extra screws and bolts. But bless your heart, you tried.
I feel like this happens a lot in life. We're humans, we've been through a lot. So, naturally, we think we can do life without the instruction manual. But let's be real - it never ends well.
That's why it's so important to not just "listen" to the Word of God, but also take it a step further and apply it to our lives - "do" it.
In James it says, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." Another version says, "But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."
As believers, we are called to actually live out our faith. We are called to be "doers", not just "hearers".
In my walk in Christ, there's been so many moments where I've "heard" God's word whispered into my little ear, or read it on the pages of this precious book. Moments like "hey, don't go that way", or "hey, don't say that thing", or my personal favorite "hey, don't date that guy".
In those moments, I know deep down what God is instructing me to do. But it's always my choice on whether I want to follow it or not. I think we've all been in these positions before, and maybe you're in one right now. So let me assure you that you are not alone. Let me encourage you to lean into what God is speaking to you through His word and make the effort to apply it to your life.
God wrote the instruction manual Himself, I think He knows what He's doing. All we have to do is read those instructions and apply it to the Ikea dresser of our lives 🧡
