Being A Doer of the Word.

I painted the above saying on something recently. It was an old spatterware lid to a canner that was useless because of a hole in it. My son picked it up today and asked why it was laying where it was. Then he read it out loud. Here is how he read it.... "Be a door of the world." He asked me what that meant? =) I told him that he needed to read it again. Then we all giggled after he read it correctly and realized his boo boo.

I need that reminder to be a doer not just a hearer of the Word. That is why I painted it and why I am going to hang it on my wall. This effects every area of my life. Another saying of mine that I have on my wall is "Be Faithful In The Basics." This is another way to be a doer of the Word, but in the very basics of what is expected of me. First and foremost, I am a child of the King of Kings. Do I act like I am? Do I dress like I am? Do I talk like I am? Do I think like I am? Then I am a wife to my wonderful and patient husband, Michael. Am I being the wife that the Bible tells me to be? Not what the world says a wife should be, not like the people at church, not like anyone else, but like the Bible tells me to be. The world tells me that "I" am important. I need to take care of myself. I need time to pamper me, I need this I need that. The Bible tells me to be a help meet. I am to help him. It is not his job to help me, although my wonderful man helps me a lot. Some people who are counseled before marriage are told that they need to each give 50%. That is wrong. God's love that is intended between His children and especially between spouses is Agape love. That means we are each to give 100% and expect nothing. That SO goes AGAINST our human nature. We are all usually selfish by default. After being a wife, I am a mother. Am I faithful in the basics of motherhood? Do I willingly give of my time and energy for my son? Or is he a burden and in the way of the things "I" want to do? I heard it said once that the middle of sin is that great big "I". That is the truth.

I think that God gives us friends that are strong in areas that we need work in. I have one friend who has some areas of her walk and being a doer of the Word that I need to learn from. She is outstanding in those areas of her life. Michael and I went together out to her farm to see her yesterday. She lives on a farm by herself. She has horses and sheep and some cows. We don't see eye to eye in a lot of spiritual areas, but we are never the less friends. I have never met anyone with as much faith as my friend, Kathy. I have never met someone who is so faithful to tell everyone they meet about the Lord. I have never met someone who holds their things so loosely as Kathy. She has a beautiful farm. I shared some pictures of it awhile back. We took a walk with her to one of the upper pastures. I had never been back there. Oh, it is GORGEOUS. I got winded near the top and sat down for a bit. Michael and Kathy went on to the top to check out some hay. I just sat there drinking in the beauty of the land. I saw a spot that I would love to put a house on and live there. Do you know what? All I would have had to say was that I would love to have a house on that spot and she would have given me that piece of land. That is why I did NOT say it. I am so careful what I say around her, because she wants to bless people. Many people take advantage of her. We try to protect her. We are very careful as to who we introduce her to because even well meaning people will take from her. Sometimes they do not realize how little income she has. She lives totally on faith. She has no regular income. When it comes time to pay taxes if she does not have it, she will sell an animal to get it. She owns the land free and clear. She lives on poverty level. Michael was just trying to figure out the size of several of the pastures and hay fields. They were talking about how much hay could be made, etc. He would ask her how many acres that pasture was and she would tell Him that God's pasture was 16 acres. Many of us say that we believe that all we own belongs to God, but she REALLY believes that all her things are God's. So, when someone wants it, then she can give it away. This really puts me to shame. I want to be a doer of the Word in this area (as well as a lot of other ones). I want to learn from her example. Here are some pictures of her land.
This is her calf that was born yesterday morning. It is a little heifer calf.
This is just past her barn and starting up to the pasture.
This is looking back from where we just came from.

I LOVE trees. When I see a particularly magnificent one, I am in love. This Sycamore was HUGE. I loved it right away.
This is one huge branch that comes off the bottom of the tree, almost touches the ground and then goes back up.
Here is one of her horses out to pasture. Or should I say one of God's horses. =)
If you click on this picture you will see sheep and God's 2 work horses at the top of the hill in the back. As I sat there waiting for them to get back, I would see deer up there with them. Sometimes there were several and then there would be none.
This is looking back down at her farm, which is hidden by trees. The pasture you see up on the far right of the screen is where I would love to live. =)
If you click on this picture, you can see a deer up near the trees grazing.
This is pokeweed. It is poisonous, but oh so pretty. Some people use it for a dye for yarn and cloth. I did see one salve recipe that had poke weed berries and root in it.
This is down by her house. The house is behind and to the left of me.
This is the walkway down into her spring house. She uses this water to keep her things cold. If you go down the stairs and go straight, you will see the sluice where the spring water runs in to the spring house. To the right of that sluice is the pool where the spring comes up. She drinks that water. The water around here comes out of the ground at about 54 degrees, so it is cold and sweet.
This is looking back out after I went down the stairs.
This is taken from where you park your car. The sunflowers in the other picture are in the center of this one.
We need to encourage one another daily to walk after the things of God. Don't let all the niceties of this world capture and keep all your attention. Read and feast on the Word of God and then do what you are instructed in that Word. Blessings to each of you!!