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Philip Ryken wrote, “It is one thing to hear God’s word.  It is another to fear it, heeding all God’s warnings, trusting all God’s promises, and obeying all God’s commands.”

It is possible to sit in church every Sunday and read your Bible every day and still lack maturity.

James describes this condition.  He said it is like a man who looks intently at his face in a mirror and then goes away and promptly forgets what he looks like.

Does that not sound ridiculous?  But that is exactly how we are when we just hear God’s word and not apply it to our lives.  The Bible is God’s love letter to us, so we must, as Ryken notes, heed God’s warnings, trust God’s promises, and obey God’s commands.  As James tells us we are to be doers of the Word and not just hearers only.

Hear the word and put into practice what God tells us to do.

This is Shane Vander Hart with your Caffeinated Thought of the Day.

Remember you can listen to Caffeinated Thoughts Radio on air at 8:00a and 6:00p on Saturdays on The Truth Network 99.3 FM if you live in the Des Moines/Ames Metro area.  You can also listen online live here.  Also we are on iTunes!

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