The One Common Denominator
My husband and I have been in full-time pastoral ministry for over 30 years, and over those three decades, we have had the privilege of walking with people through a lot of seasons of their lives. We have seen many people grow greatly in their relationship with God and, as a result, their lives have been radically changed for the better. However, we have also seen people remain in the “infant” stage of their Christianity, with very little change in their everyday lives even after years of serving God. Both groups of people have heard the same teachings, sat in the same church services together, read the same passages of Scripture, received the same ministry, and been given the same opportunities to see great growth in their lives.But there is one clear common denominator in the group of people who have seen life-transforming changes happen in their lives: OBEDIENCE.
Romans 2:13 explains why this is so: “it is not those who HEAR the law (God’s Word) who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is THOSE WHO OBEY the law who will be declared righteous.”
There is a vast difference between HEARING the Word of God and OBEYING the Word of God.Simply hearing God’s Word taught, or just reading His Word, isn’t life-changing. Obeying what God Word says totally is!
James 1:22 reiterates this by saying, “Do not merely LISTEN to the Word, and so deceive yourselves… DO WHAT IT SAYS.”
Living in a technological culture that hears and listens to God’s Word so readily, I’m afraid that we’ve grown accustomed to listening to so many teachings and sermons that we walk away putting very little of what we’ve learned into practice.HEARING doesn’t change lives. OBEYING does!We have a responsibility to what we have been entrusted with through all the great sermons available to us. We have an even greater responsibility with God’s words and instructions we read in the Bible. And God’s Word clearly tells us that we are to put into practice… OBEY… what we have read, heard and been taught.If you long for changes in your heart and life: DO WHAT GOD’S WORD SAYS TO DO. I am certainly not going to tell you that’s going to be easy because it won’t. For some of you, it will be the hardest thing you have ever done. But it will absolutely be the best thing you have ever done, and with the greatest reward ~ a changed life!My husband challenged our church congregation recently with this: “If you want to change your life, your marriage, your family, your mindset, the condition of your heart, etc. show up to church regularly for ONE year. For ONE year, come to church and then walk out each Sunday and DO WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN TAUGHT. Put into practice and live out all that you’ve heard and read through the teaching of God’s Word. And in doing so, I promise you… your life will be totally transformed!”It seems like it should be more complicated than that, doesn’t it? But it’s not. Obedience is a powerful force. DO WHAT GOD SAYS TO DO. Then watch Him transform every area of your life.I want to give you that same challenge. Commit to being faithful to whatever church you are a part of. If you haven’t been to church in a while, find a growing, healthy, Bible teaching church to attend. Then make a commitment to God that you will walk out of those services and put into practice what you have been taught. Make that same commitment to what you read in your Bible. DO WHAT IT SAYS. Then watch how God will bless your obedience as you begin to see life-change happen in you!