Day Five: Study for Service

Now, although it would of course be amazing to stay in the position of worship, as Mary did. We also have very distinct calls and purposes on our lives which require us to GO. We are required to ABIDE, which means to remain in him, as we go and do.

Passages like the one in James 1, not to mention The Great Commission (Matthew 28), give us clear instruction on the importance of doing the work of God.

Verse 23 of the James passage really strikes me in that the imagery of looking intently at the Word of God is described as being like someone who looks in a mirror. This gives us yet further insight into the fact that so much of our identity is tied up in the pages of Scripture.

The more we read his Word and understand his heart, the more we long to do what he’s created us for. So it starts with the study, but it doesn’t stay there. The natural response after any of us has learned something is to then go and put it into practice. The practice before the knowing can be limiting in that we’ll only ever get so far without knowing exactly what we’re meant to do and why. Equally, simply knowing without going is even more limiting.

Another phrase to note from our passage is the word ‘perseveres’ in verse 25. It can be easy, after a hard knock or a feeling of difficulty and struggle, to feel like perhaps we’ve got it wrong or that God isn’t actually with us after all, and that is one of the crucial reasons as to why it’s so vital to keep coming back to the word.

Just like we don’t look at ourselves in the mirror once and think to ourselves "well, I know what I look like now, I don’t need to look ever again!" - neither do we look to scripture once and think to ourselves "well, I know what to do now". Of course, we know this in theory, but it can be harder to walk out in practice.

One of the most commonly asked questions for both Christians and non-Christians alike is "What is the purpose for my life?" As believers, we have answers to this not only on a broad scale, but also on a day-to-day basis as we continually revisit what God has to say about what is required of us each and every day.

Knowing this, then we must not simply theoretically know what is required of us; we must also be prepared and willing to walk it out, and we must continue to come back to it in order to be replenished, restored, and rejuvenated for what’s ahead. I hope that this short plan has encouraged you to do just that.

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This plan may be finished, but your journey doesn’t have to be. If you’re ready to keep going and keep growing with Jesus at the centre and with a rhythm that actually honours your season, I’d love to keep walking with you.

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