Ezekiel 33:32 ASV, Colossians 3:16-17 ASV, Titus 3:6 ASV and James 1:22 ASV

Ezekiel was a prophet that God used to give warning to His people. He was a watchman for the house of Israel. Ezekiel 33:7 He had the same problem that so many of today's watchmen have: the people are not listening. They hear and delight in the message but they never practice it. Vs.32

It is as James says in James chapter 1:22: Prove (NASB) yourselves doers of the word and not hearers only. We can so often deceive ourselves as we listen to the word of God thinking that we are obeying but we are fooling ourselves. There is no application. The old fashioned word is obedience. We should obey what the word of God is telling us.

It reminds me of our Russian friends and the culture we learned while living in Eastern Europe. As a rule: Russians think rules are great but rules are for everyone else to follow, they are for all the other people. So you have a society that is always looking for ways around the rules. This is evident in simple life applications like driving traffic and any kind of lines.

As Christians, we tend to want to do the same thing with God's word. It is a really good word and more people aught to follow what is being said. I like the NASB word "PROVE" used in James 1:22. That is an action word that as Christians we should use to apply the Word of God in our lives.

What does that mean in practical terms? One example: many people will begin a "read through the bible" program as we begin the new year. The challenge is not to just read the assigned text but to put it to action in our lives. Those who apply the truth of the word will live a more Christ -honoring lifestyle in 2009. They may also be more likely to continue the reading program throughout the year and make it more than just a New Year's resolution. Read and Obey!!