Breath of Life Bible Journaling

Here at Breath of Life I am now starting to share my love of  Bible Journaling.  The Breath of Life Bible Journaling will be posts where I share with you at least one or two of my pages from My Creative Bible that my daughter gave me for Christmas two years ago. I will also be sharing the Scriptures that coincides with them as well as possible chatting a little on my personal views concerning the passage. 

So here we go with post #5

 

James 1:22

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

 

 

 

This is what Matthew Henry's Commentary – Verses 19–27 say'

2. We are directed how to hear it: Receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. (1.) In hearing the word of God, we are to receive it—assent to the truths of it—consent to the laws of it; receive it as the stock does the graft; so as that the fruit which is produced may be, not according to the nature of the sour stock, but according to the nature of that word of the gospel which is engrafted into our souls. (2.) We must therefore yield ourselves to the word of God, with most submissive, humble, and tractable tempers: this is to receive it with meekness. Being willing to hear of our faults, and taking it not only patiently, but thankfully, desiring also to be molded and formed by the doctrines and precepts of the gospel. (3.) In all our hearing we should aim at the salvation of our souls. It is the design of the word of God to make us wise to salvation; and those who propose any meaner or lower ends to themselves in attending upon it dishonour the gospel and disappoint their souls. We should come to the word of God (both to read it and hear it), as those who know it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth, Rom. 1:16.

3. We are taught what is to be done after hearing (Jas. 1:22): But be you doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. Observe here, (1.) Hearing is in order to doing; the most attentive and the most frequent hearing of the word of God will not avail us, unless we be also doers of it. If we were to hear a sermon every day of the week, and an angel from heaven were the preacher, yet, if we rested in bare hearing, it would never bring us to heaven. Therefore the apostle insists much upon it (and, without doubt, it is indispensably necessary) that we practice what we hear. “There must be inward practice by meditation, and outward practice in true obedience.” Baxter. It is not enough to remember what we hear, and to be able to repeat it, and to give testimony to it, and commend it, and write it, and preserve what we have written; that which all this is in order to, and which crowns the rest, is that we be doers of the word. Observe, (2.) Bare hearers are self-deceivers; the original word, paralogizomenoi, signifies men’s arguing sophistically to themselves; their reasoning is manifestly deceitful and false when they would make one part of their work discharge them from the obligation they lie under to another, or persuade themselves that filling their heads with notions is sufficient, though their hearts be empty of good affections and resolutions, and their lives fruitless of good works. Self-deceit will be found the worst deceit at last.

 I agree with this commentary here. Within one verse we are instructed to hear and do something. And in the first part of Matthew Henry's Commentary it tells us "How" to "Hear". Then in the second part it tells us "What to Do".

I have been going to Church since I was a small child. I went twice on Sunday and at least once during the week. I have been in small Church's as well as big Church's. Was taught by some great Sunday School teachers, heard some amazing preachers. We were from a small town in W.Va. but I not only went to Church there in Blair, but went to other Church's in W.Va.. 

What I am trying to say is, while I have done and heard all of the Scriptures my entire life, if I just sat and listened only it would not have any real affect on me or any one else around me. As young girl I started taking notes during the preaching. At first others thought I was not paying attention really and that I was playing around. One Sunday Morning during the sermon my Grandma was sitting next to me and she started watching what I was actually writing. After we got home she read them and then showed my dad. From that day on no one said a thing. I so enjoyed getting home and then looking up all the other scriptures and reading, studying those scriptures for my shelf. Then I would share my notes with others.

Today, we live in a world that there is so many ways to hear God's Word. And that Anyone can do so. But that does not negate our job of doing what we have heard. Or telling others. We can go to every service, every day of every week it still will not be what gets us to Heaven. We have to humble go to God and give our selves fully to Him. Then study the Bible for yourself and ask God for the understand of His word. Then put that knowledge (wisdom) that you receive into practice. 

So, that's one of my Bible journal pages for this week. Do you have a, My Creative Bible or any other Bible that you journal in? I would love for you to share with me on Breath of Life as well as over on Instagram @#breathoflifebiblejournaling 

And as always, Happy Reading....