But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.  –James 1:22

I’m exhausted.  I spent the last 3 nights of my life painting at our new house.  First it was the ceilings; then it was the walls.  As tiring as painting is, there’s a joy that comes with it though, isn’t there?  When you finally get to roll on that last coat, it’s amazing to see the change that takes place as your house is transformed.   Can you imagine buying a bunch of paint and setting the cans in the rooms but never actually applying it on the walls?  The value of paint doesn’t come in owning it but in applying it.  The same is true with God’s Word and our lives.  We can have all the knowledge in the world, but if we haven’t applied that knowledge, then we’re deceiving ourselves about its value.  God’s Word is meant to be applied, so we need to read it and study it with a goal of putting it into practice in the form of life application.  Don’t be deceived into believing that knowledge it is enough; it’s not!  Just like with paint, the value comes in the application, and there is satisfaction in the aftermath.