Cultivating a Heart for God's Word Part 3 - Be a Faithful Doer

In this passage, James is trying to help his readers and in turn help us, to develop a heart that responds to the word of God, that bears fruit. In accordance with the parable of the sower from Luke 8, we want our hearts to produce fruit, righteousness, and that's what the true believer should experience. So James is exhorting those Jewish believers to whom he writes and us in turn, to cultivate our hearts for the word of God.

If your soil is not prepared, it's not going to receive the seed. So we need to prepare the surface for whatever we are going to bring to it if we want it to bring about lasting results. So James is saying take that mindset to your heart. Prepare your hearts to receive the word of God.The theme of this message, the imperative that dominates this passage, is be a faithful doer. Be a faithful doer so that if you are a disciplined listener and a humble learner and a faithful doer, your heart is ready to receive the word of God and will bear more fruit.