Blessings Come from Obeying God’s Word

In review of Matthew 7:24 it says, “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

Bottom Line:

Anyone who listens to my teaching, and puts them into practice is wise, much like a man who built his house on solid foundation.

What this means to me:

It is wise for me to listen to, obey and put into practice Jesus’ teaching. Doing so is much like building on a solid foundation.

Any receiving, reading, researching, remembering, and reflecting on the Word of God will be useless if I fail to put into practice what I learn. I must become a doer of the Word (James 1:22).

This can be a hard step. Satan will fight it intensely. He doesn’t mind me going to a Bible study as long as I don’t do anything with what I learn.

Also, I’m only fooling myself when I assume that just because I have heard or read or studied a truth, I have really internalized it.

I can be so busy going to the next thing, that I have no time to implement what I’ve just learned. I can even forget about it on the way to my next study!  So without implementation, all my Bible studies are worthless. Jesus said, “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matthew 7:24 NIV).

Jesus also pointed out that God’s blessing comes from obeying the truth, not just knowing it. He said, “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them” (John 13:17).

Being a part of a small study discussion group is extremely beneficial. I can always learn from others truths that I would have never learned or considered on my own. Others will help me see insights I would miss, helping me apply God’s truth in a practical way.

So the best way for me to become a doer of the Word, is to always write out an action step as a result of my reading or studying of or reflecting on God’s Word. Get into a regular routine of writing down exactly what you intend to do.

What I’m learning is that within this action step, what I write down should be personal (involving me), practical (something I can realistically do), and provable (with a deadline). Every application I take would involve either my relationship to God, my relationship to others, or developing my personal character.

One of the things that God wants me to do is to meet with others.  I’m getting back into the groove of this and will do as much as I can before my wife and I move next month. In addition, small groups have just started back up and tonight will be my first day back to that after a small break. My experience with groups has been getting different insight from others and even course correction when I need it. Through my morning quiet times, I try to do a lot of what I have mentioned above. I have gotten into the routine of writing my notes down about a passage and concluding with some specific next steps. One thing I will need to include is some form of deadline. As a result tremendous blessings will come from obeying God’s Word.