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Good Morning! It is good to be back with you. I am excited to have returned to some sort of normalcy in my daily life this week. It will be good to be back on a daily schedule that will allow me to start my day with the Lord and then with you.

Today's quote is best considered one small piece at a time. First, let us look at the first sentence, "self is only a hearer of the Word and not a doer". Though it is possible to do right things in your own power, when we are doing so, it is no longer Christ living in me, it's me living in me. Thus, I can say "I am doing right things" but I can't say "I am doing right". Why? Because to do right, we must be right! We can do right things without being right, but you cannot do right without being right, for in the age of grace, to do right is to be Christ. We are told "for me to live IS Christ"!

With that said, though maybe not said well, please understand that self cannot be a doer of the Word. Self can do the wordsfound in the Word, but it can't be a doer of the Word, for to be a doer of the Word brings us great profitability and the Bible tells us that "the flesh profits nothing!" The Word is the transcribed Son of God. That mean's more than He was involved in it's writing. It means He is the Word and the Word is He (John 1)!

Thus, to be His doer (a doer of the Word), we have to be Him! So we see there is no conceivable way to be a doer of the Word, without allowing the Word, Himself, to be the doer. First, we hear the Word; then we yield our soul when we want right or die to self when we don't want right that He may have the submission from us He requires that He may perform that Word. Then He does the work of the Word. "Be ye doers" requires us hearing and Him doing. Remember, the Hidden truth that it is no longer me that is doing the work, it is He!

With that said, the next phrase in today's quote indicates that self effort in doing the Word is "a vain attempt to obtain righteousness by learning about God rather than experience a leading from God".

It is easy to learn about God. Any fortunate man or woman brought up in church knows just about everything that is needed to be known about God. They have all the information. But information does not always equate to a personal relation. My pastor knows a lot about DL Moody. He has studied and read many books about this great man. But this side of heaven, my preacher will never know DL Moody. He has much information on the man, but no personal relation with the man.

So we see that those who do the work of the Word in their own power are doing so by relying on their information (what they know) rather than their personal relation (Whom they know). This is a frustrating way to live my life because it is not the work of the Lord, it's the work of Steve! God will share His glory with no one, not even a well meaning Steve. Consider this fact: works that fail to glorify God will not satisfy regenerated mankind long term. We may enjoy the praise of man, but if we possess His living Spirit then we cannot endure disappointing our Father long term. It will catch up with us and a miserable man we shall be.

Usually, we see that when a Christian becomes a Word doer in His own power he takes on characteristics in His Christian life that helps him feel comfortable with his "duties". The characteristics of these well meaning people are using opinioned, argumentative, divisive, loathers of liberty choosing to rule rather than just set rules.

God has lots of rules, but His goal is for us to follow them out of the purity of a relationship. He came to fulfill the law, not destroy it. I don't need to fulfill His rules. I just need to submit to Him. Remember that "He is the performer, I am the transformer." When I yield to Him I transform just like the cartoon characters. But instead of transforming into a super powered robmonot I transform into the sinless Son of God.

So we must conclude that information is the fuel that our personal relationship is going to burn. It is not the knowledge of error that makes us free. It's the knowledge of the Truth that makes us free! That Truth is a person, not a flannel graph story.

Think about this verse listed below today and consider if you, at times, may fall for the weakness of character found in a works based "vain jangler". I taught this verse to my Sunday School class this week, so I dissected and defined it so that I could understand it better.

I Timothy 1:5-7 "Now the end of the commandment (to love others) is charity out of a pure heart (clean meditations and motives), and of a good conscience (absent of guilt and conscience), and of faith unfeigned (that's not fake or hypocritical)".

Now this is the way we are to live our life. Real love for real people from a real faith that comes from a Philippines 4:8 thought life of the heart.

However, some prefer the characteristics found in a vain jangler. These people have deviated from God's plan. Why? Because they do not want to love, or they do not want to have real faith or because they do not strive for that purer meditation of the heart that is the crux of the cross!

Here is what he says about those who choose to live differently than Christ admonished us to live (which is to live in His love). "From which some having swerved (deviated) have turned aside unto vain jangling (useless arguing); Desiring (choosing instead)to be teachers of the law (rules); understanding neither what they say , nor whereof (Whom) they affirm (confidently praise)."

What is this saying? They become argumentative and desire to teach rules, rules, rules because they do not understand the One they are trying in their own power to obey and praise. They mean well, but they are doing wrong!Why? Because they have deviated from the Truth's desire to perform His love on undeserving people.

That's right! It is Hisdesire to perform His love through us on undeserving people. He did it for you, through someone else and now He seeks to do it for another through you. Self gets in the way of the Savior's love. He said "BE ye doers"; not DO ye doers. We don't have to do the Word, Christ is the Word. We don't do Christ, we BECOME Christ. He has done all the work of the Word!

All we have to DO is to "BE the Word", through submission to His mission: "for me to live is Christ and to die is gain". Don't do good. Be good!

He is the Word and IN Him is LIFE!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY: "Dear Father, please help me to realize the occasional weaknesses in my walk. I cannot perform the work of the Lord "in mine own power" and be in complete surrender to you. I need your power and the contentment that comes from sweet submission to you and your authorities. Please help me to recognize through my weak interpersonal skills when I am trying to do the words instead of being the Word. You became flesh and dwelt among us. I need that dwelling within me to be strong and vibrant. Show me my mistakes today and help me to confess those mistakes. Empower me to repent of those mistakes and strengthen me to remain free of those mistakes for a sufficient duration of faith that would please you. I pray this in the blood stained name of Jesus, Amen!"

A QUESTION FOR TODAY'S MEDITATION: "Did I read the Bible yesterday or did I live the Bible yesterday? Or, worse yet. Did I do neither yesterday?