Putting God’s word into practice can be one of the most challenging and rewarding undertakings we do in this lifetime. It is one thing to hear what God says and another to ask the Lord to help you accomplish what He is calling you to do or change.
One of our elders had a concrete construction business with four employees. He felt led by the Lord to start a Bible study for these young men before work each Monday. As the months rolled along, neither of us thought they were getting much out of the study because they said very little. Then something miraculous happened! Each of them stopped swearing. We never had a study about this, and He did not tell them they could not swear, but God did. When we thought nothing was going on, God was at work. They put God’s word into practice by cleaning up their daily language.
What part of God’s word is He telling you to put into practice? It could be to forgive, pray for, encourage, or some other aspect the Holy Spirit is bringing to your heart.
Hearing and Obeying God’s Word
Jesus was teaching the people, and he paused and told them to pay close attention. Put yourself into this situation. You hear Jesus telling you to listen carefully. You stop what you are doing and listen intently to the words of Jesus. What will He say?
Mark 4:24Then he added, “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given—and you will receive even more. 25 To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.” [1] We may not have been there when Jesus spoke these words, but they are as applicable today. We will understand and grow deeper in God’s truth as we put God’s teaching into practice.
The Importance of Obedience
My wife and I did a two-year study on Kings and Prophets of the Old Testament. We looked at each King and prophet and how they responded to God’s word. Repeatedly, this study drove home the importance of obedience. Obedience is what makes a King or prophet successful in God’s eyes. As years went by, The Scripture challenged us to obey. Would we follow the Lord or go our own way?
We found that obedience usually required us to take a step of faith and resulted in God’s spiritual blessings. Putting God’s word into practice is difficult because there is a spiritual battle.
But remember, the Lord is with you; He will sustain you, and the Holy Spirit will help you. James 1: 22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. [2]
To hear more about putting God’s word into practice, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/mark-jesus-teaches-in-parables
[1] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Mk 4:24–25). Tyndale House Publishers.
[2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Jas 1:22–25). Tyndale House Publishers.