Not only hear, but do

James 1:22 New King James Version (NKJV)

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

We all have a problem with our heart, not a physical one, but a spiritual one. Throughout The Bible, God has told us how to live our lives, yet we often ignore the words He has given us. In our disobedience, there are consequences we face. If only we would listen to what God has told us our lives would be much simpler.

A [2006] medical study reveals just how difficult change is for people. Roughly 600,000 people have heart bypasses a year in America. These people are told after their bypasses that they must change their lifestyle. The heart bypass is a temporary fix. They must change their diet. They must quit smoking and drinking. They must exercise and reduce stress.

In essence, the doctors say, "Change or die."

You would think that a near-death experience would forever grab the attention of the patients. You would think they would vote for change. You would think the argument for change is so compelling that the patients would make the appropriate lifestyle alterations. Sadly that is not the case.

Ninety percent of the heart patients do not change. They remain the same, living the status quo. Study after study indicates that two years after heart surgery, the patients have not altered their behavior. Instead of making changes for life, they choose death.

Change is that difficult. The majority of the heart patients choose not to change. They act as if they would rather die.

[Thom S. Rainer and Eric Geiger, Simple Church (B & H Publishing Group, 2006), p. 229]