The father approached the second son and said the same thing to him. The son replied, ‘Father, I will go and do as you said.’ But he never did—he didn’t go to the vineyard. Matthew 21:30 TPT

Have you ever asked someone to do something only to find that they never did it? Can I get a hardy AMEN from all the parents out there? You know they heard you, they acknowledged you, even repeated it back to you, still not done. Perhaps you gave them consequences (ie punishment) if it wasn’t done and still, not done. Nothing used to get my pot boiling like that scenario! Wonder where they learned it from? Because you know children usually model what they see in us.

There’s a verse in James 1:22 that got my attention; “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” We can plug our ears and do the ‘la la la’ thing all we want, but God knows we heard Him. Guess what? Since it’s a choice, we only deceive ourselves!

Something happens when I choose to obey. I believe it opens a door that can’t be closed. When I change from just reading and hearing to actually doing, watch out. I’ll be marked for life. I’ll be called ‘radical’, ‘weird’, ‘one of those kinds of Christians’, ‘unbalanced’, ‘over zealous’, ‘too heavenly minded to be earthly good’. Let me tell you something; I can still hold an intelligent conversation with the best of them, can still function (definitely better) in my job, enjoy dinner with friends and still do the will of my Father who sent me.

Yeah, that’s right! I still have my warped sense of humor, still roll my eyes at Walts weird jokes, still watch normal shows on TV. So what’s different about me? I’ve made an investment in the Word, not just to hear it, but to do it. I’ve made the same investment in prayer, not just to talk about it, but to do it. That’s right, I even intercede in tongues that I never learned.

I am a believer in every sense of the word and I’m unashamed of the power that Word had in changing me and my family. I don’t want to be like the world, I want to be different because the Word told me to be separate and I’m doing it. I’m getting myself ready for King Jesus who has promised to return for me. That’s right, I even believe Jesus is coming soon. I work the Word because the Word works!

Sandy G