The New Testament book of James has a powerful message for each of us who desire to experience God's transforming power.

"But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. 25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does" (James 1:22-25). Author, Dallas Willard, keenly observes “Grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning" (The Great Omission). For us to experience the transformation that God's truth can bring to our lives we must be committed to intentional obedience.