Just Do it!

The Nike advertising statement “…just do it…” do what I hear?   Well here is a thought “JUST DO IT”

Psalm 76:11, 12 (Message)

Do for God what you said you’d do — he is, after all, your God. Let everyone in town bring offerings to the One Who Watches our every move. Nobody gets by with anything, no one plays fast and loose with him.

For many years people have been told what God will do for them, how he will deliver, heal, make good…  Its been a Faith about my advancement and my living in the goodness of God which I am not going to undermine, I simply want to add a thought in addition this, to help us mature in our walk….. lets  take a different way of thought.

There comes a time when we begin to realise what are we going to be and do for Him?    Submitting all we are and all we have “…for Him…” the psalmist scribes it with “…what you said you’d do…”

There is a brotherly consciousness  involved here, to help us “keep up what you said”, brothers keeping us accountable to the utterances of our hearts.   When your heart was full towards the Father what did you say, “…you’d do ?…” Time, events and circumstances  go by, adjustments have happened, so we often need to have external reminders, that voice of a friend that brings us back to “…as you said you’d do…”

“Do for God what you said you’d do – he is after all, your God” ……it is as if we need reminding and help with recall. The tenor of the writing here suggest that very thing, we need external help to recall all we have said, to enable us to do it.

Do for God – in other words come out of thoughts and words and be worshipful – a worship that is an act of obedience, not just singing or shouting but being obedient, as you are obedient to him, “…do for God…” we have to be careful here too, as some would say we are not human-doings but human-beings,  yet in the tension of our lives, we have to plan out, live out and make known the will of God on our lives, and do what we said we would.

Remember those deep moving moments when we said we would chase and follow after him.   I am reminded of an old song that Louis Armstrong sung, “…I’ll walk a million miles for one of your smiles…” well what did you say you would do for God, whilst in some of those high intimate moments.   My encouragement is come on …..let’s do what we said we would!

Make vows to the Lord your God and them; Let all who are around Him give gifts to Him who is to be feared

Do for God what you said you would, restore, perform, finish, fulfil what you said you would.

These words fulfil,  or “…do what you said you’ll do…” has an amazing root, as you study it out, it is clear that it is not just about being faithful or keeping your word, but about the quality of life that follows those who ‘…do it…’

To be in a condition of keeping what you said has a fullness of life to it and a prosperity connected to it.   Therefore be careful regarding your words, what you said you would do, your word is tied to a voiced covenant so watch you do not unwittingly break it.    The word has a root that talks about  “being in a covenant of Peace” the Hebrew word has a meaning behind it of completion and fulfilment of entering into a state of wholeness and unity, a restored relationship.

The payment of a vow (Ps 50:14) completes an agreement so that both parties are in a state of šālôm.    Here we find then the idea of once the obligation of doing what you said has been met; wholeness is restored (Isa 60:20; Joel 2:25).

This is all to do with coming to completeness not just getting something done!

Interesting is that šālēm a derivative of the same word is used of the whole (i.e. uncut) stones for the altar (Deut 27:6; Josh 8:31) and of the dressed stones used for the temple (I Kgs 6:7).   We are stones fitted together, displaying our connection and peace with the Father and the people around me.   So do what you said you would do, to be at peace with the Father and with the people around.

Do what you said so that salom and its meaning can work in us, šālôm means “absence of strife”

Peace, in this case, means much more than mere absence of war. Rather, the root meaning of the verb šālēm better expresses the true concept of šālôm as completeness, wholeness, harmony, and fulfilment.

Implicit in šālôm is the idea of unimpaired relationships with others and fulfillment in one’s undertakings.

This sort of peace has its source in God.    This is fulfillment through the divine gift.

So to return us to where our thought began “…Do for God what you said you would do…” come to peace and live at peace!    Just Do it!