' Why do you call Me, Lord, Lord, and do not [practice] what I tell you? For everyone who comes to Me and listens to My words [in order to heed their teaching] and does them, I will show you what he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug and went down deep and laid a foundation upon the rock; and when a flood arose, the torrent broke against that house and could not shake or move it, because it had been securely built or founded on a rock. But he who merely hears and does not practice doing My words is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation, against which the torrent burst, and immediately it collapsed and fell, and the breaking and ruin of that house was great.'
Luke 6:46 49 Amplified Bible Classic
Obedience. Simply stated, yet hard to practice!
We all want to live 'the good life'! But oftentimes we miss out on the abundant life Jesus came to give, and the desires that we live in. The disconnect, I believe, is in our desire to be obedient servants of our Master. In the verse in view, Jesus asks the pointed question,
"Why do you call Me, Lord, Lord, and do not [practice] what I tell you?"
Following Jesus is a life that practices obedience. It's a lifestyle of right living, right choices, and desiring to not only hear His words, but to DO them. Paul later writes,
' For it is not merely hearing the Law [read] that makes one righteous before God, but it is the doers of the Law who will be held guiltless and acquitted and justified.'
Romans 2:13 Amplified Bible Classic
Now, I am not being legalistic in using this verse; I am not saying that we need to live out our faith in a works-based salvation paradigm. I am using this verse, however, to drive home the point that we must be doers of the word, and not just hearers of it.
It's become increasingly more challenging to make the right decisions in our day. If we listen to our culture, and to the voices all around us, and we close our ears to what God's word tells us is right, we will miss the mark! Almost no one flinches or thinks twice in our time about sexual impurity, for example. Even in the church, sex is regarded as a right to one's self, and when it feels right, then it is right. Or if it requires a little extra effort to be helpful to someone, and inconveniences you just a little, then that is often asking too much for many.
The bootstrap mentality deludes people, and because they have worked hard to gain what they have, there is little sympathy for those they perceive have not worked hard enough to get what they have! The poor are poor because they are lazy, so why should anyone help them, because they don't deserve it! Where is our love for our neighbor as ourselves in this way of thinking?
These are only a couple of examples; there are many more. So my point is: if we want to be blessed, we need to be obedient and do what the word says is right, not what we think is right if it doesn't line up with a biblical worldview! Of course, you have to have a biblical worldview even to know what that is, to understand how to be obedient.
God's word is our standard, our firm foundation in all things in life, and in this world. May we all set our minds and purposes on it, and walk in His ways. In doing so, we will set our feet on solid ground and live lives worthy of our calling. Amen!
Luke 6:46 49 Amplified Bible Classic
Obedience. Simply stated, yet hard to practice!
We all want to live 'the good life'! But oftentimes we miss out on the abundant life Jesus came to give, and the desires that we live in. The disconnect, I believe, is in our desire to be obedient servants of our Master. In the verse in view, Jesus asks the pointed question,
"Why do you call Me, Lord, Lord, and do not [practice] what I tell you?"
Following Jesus is a life that practices obedience. It's a lifestyle of right living, right choices, and desiring to not only hear His words, but to DO them. Paul later writes,
' For it is not merely hearing the Law [read] that makes one righteous before God, but it is the doers of the Law who will be held guiltless and acquitted and justified.'
Romans 2:13 Amplified Bible Classic
Now, I am not being legalistic in using this verse; I am not saying that we need to live out our faith in a works-based salvation paradigm. I am using this verse, however, to drive home the point that we must be doers of the word, and not just hearers of it.
It's become increasingly more challenging to make the right decisions in our day. If we listen to our culture, and to the voices all around us, and we close our ears to what God's word tells us is right, we will miss the mark! Almost no one flinches or thinks twice in our time about sexual impurity, for example. Even in the church, sex is regarded as a right to one's self, and when it feels right, then it is right. Or if it requires a little extra effort to be helpful to someone, and inconveniences you just a little, then that is often asking too much for many.
The bootstrap mentality deludes people, and because they have worked hard to gain what they have, there is little sympathy for those they perceive have not worked hard enough to get what they have! The poor are poor because they are lazy, so why should anyone help them, because they don't deserve it! Where is our love for our neighbor as ourselves in this way of thinking?
These are only a couple of examples; there are many more. So my point is: if we want to be blessed, we need to be obedient and do what the word says is right, not what we think is right if it doesn't line up with a biblical worldview! Of course, you have to have a biblical worldview even to know what that is, to understand how to be obedient.
God's word is our standard, our firm foundation in all things in life, and in this world. May we all set our minds and purposes on it, and walk in His ways. In doing so, we will set our feet on solid ground and live lives worthy of our calling. Amen!
