DO!

I know that I have mentioned this on numerous occasions, but one of the first things that kept me coming around the gal I started dating as a senior in high school, was that she was always ready to DO something!  She had a sparkling glint in her eye that would shine whenever I suggested doing something different... no matter how crazy it may have seemed at the time!  I could probably count the number of times she declined my ideas on less than one hand.  (She didn’t like to be upside down… so acrobatics were off the table!)

But don’t misunderstand me here… she was a strong Christian young lady with well-defined morals that could not be crossed… and to be honest, I had so much respect for her, that I would have never put her in a position where she would need to test her convictions…  

What I am talking about is fun, usually outdoors activities like long walks, mountain hikes, sports, being the subject of the literally hundreds of photos she posed for me over the years, trips to the beach where we would run through the ice-cold northern California coastal water’s rising tides, singing with me in my band, setting up camping retreats for the youth and college groups that we were a part of… and even helping me to write, direct and put on a full scale Christian themed rock opera when we were in junior college. 

And as our faith in God and His Word grew over the years, she was always excited and game to agree and stand firm with me on various faith projects that others might (and did) deem as impossible (only to be proved incorrect when God proved faithful to His Word).

The memories of her desire and personal enthusiasm to DO bombarded my thoughts this morning as I read from Matthew 5:6 where Jesus taught,

“Blessed are they which DO hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” (KJV)

As I considered this verse and thought of Piper, I suddenly realized that the little two letter word “DO” held the most important point in Jesus’ statement.  Throughout our journey from being a part of a church youth group, the college and career ministry in our college years to eventually leading those age groups as adult leaders as well as ministering to adults in the church, we regularly came in touch with people who most definitely had a hunger and a thirst for the righteousness of God… but they hardly ever (at least not consistently)… if ever… actually DID anything about it!   

For some of these folks, I believe it was a matter of MENTAL ASSENT, where they believed in the righteousness of God, would argue in favor of it to anyone who questioned it… but when “push came to shove”* would not actually DO the work that this lifestyle entails and thereby be able to reap the benefits of their God-rewarded endeavors.  Simply because they had never allowed… or taken the time, made the effort and kept to the discipline for their understanding to graduate past the area of their intellectual thinking and move into their hearts where faith is produced.

In this regard, James 1:22 warns us to,

“Do what God's word says. Don't merely listen to it, or you will fool yourselves.” (God’s Word ©)

I can’t believe that anyone of us would want to be a fool… do you?  Therefore, I am going to DO my best to DO what the Word of God tells me to DO! 

How about you?

In my daily Christian walk, I desire to keep the legacy that Piper established early on in our relationship… and let that glint in my eye shine whenever I have any opportunity to DO whatever it is that the Word of God asks me to DO!

I’m a DOER… you Too?

Have a terrific weekend.  We’ve got sunny skies and melting snow… can’t get too much better than that!  Isn’t God Good!

 

*Of American-English origin, the phrase when (also if) push comes to shove means when a situation reaches a critical point and one must commit oneself to an action or decision.  https://wordhistories.net/