07/27/2023
There is a standing argument in the church regarding whether it is better to serve God intellectually or from the heart. We have heard the arguments from each side, but in truth it matters little which we choose... what matters most is that we hear God's Word and obey.
“But he said, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"”
Luke 11:28 ESV
It is good to study the Bible and seek to understand God's Word with our minds, and it is also good to love the Lord our God with all our heart and serve Him with emotion, but when God says "Do This..." and we find a reason to delay or not do it at all, then it doesn't matter how well we know scripture, or how much we say we love him... we are disobedient children.
“If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.”
John 7:17-18 ESV
Do we claim to be followers of Jesus Christ, and yet drag our feet when he says "come"? Does God's calling fall on deaf ears when He says "Do this" and we look the other way? Try obeying Him first! God will lead you in your obedience to that place, or in that lesson, which He has prepared for you.
So whether we hear intellectually with our ears, emotionally with our heart, or both, the gauge by which we will be judged is our obedience. Ezekiel wrote of this as he told us what God had spoken to him, and not surprisingly God refers to both hearing AND receiving... let's read this scriptural account:
“Moreover, he said to me, "Son of man, all my words that I shall speak to you receive in your heart, and hear with your ears. And go to the exiles, to your people, and speak to them and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God,' whether they hear or refuse to hear."”
Ezekiel 3:10-11 ESV
We hear and we receive, but once that happens we must then DO the thing God has placed before us. He doesn't force our hand, but waits to see if we will follow His desire. Those who say they believe but don't do His bidding are deceiving themselves and others. James picks up on this truth as well...
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”
James 1:22-25 ESV
God tells us that he protects us if we do His will, and in this we can trust. Whether we are missionaries in a far off land, proclaiming the gospel in our own town, or performing some work that God has placed before us, he is the protector and healer of His people.
“saying, "If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer."”
Exodus 15:26 ESV
Hearing God's Word, His Call, and then doing it! I am certain He is pleased with the fact that we are simply listening, but the purpose in His speaking is to communicate an idea, and in the cases in which He reveals His desire for us to serve Him, He expects us to do those things. Whether we are motivated most to serve him in an intellectual capacity or from our heart, the key to pleasing Him is to do what He asks of us. I ask myself often... am I answering God's call with action? Well, let’s all ask ourselves this question today.
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for walking and talking with me each day, and I thank you for allowing me to do those things you ask of me during our conversations. You are my God and although I contemplate your Word intellectually, I serve you equally with my heart. I do your will because I understand, but I also do the things you ask of me because I love you with all my heart. I worship and adore you father, and acting on those things that you ask of me allows me to show you just how much. I hear the small things you desire and immediately say "yes Father", but sometimes you ask me to do tasks that I have doubt in my ability to perform. When you give me a chore to do that challenges me, or is beyond my ability, you are always faithful and either increase me, or make a way that allows me to accomplish your will with my meager skills. You are a great God and in you all things are possible... you ask me to do, and then you make it possible for me to succeed in doing what you have asked. Obeying you doesn't depend on my ability, but on your provision... thank you Lord for showing me your greatness and mercy in everything you ask me to do for you. In my doing you Bless me, in my action I see you more clearly, in serving you I am allowing you to reveal more of your grace to me, and those about me. Here I am Lord, prepared to step forward to do your will, and not hesitating in silence. Here I am Holy Father, call my name.
“Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him. But if Baal, follow him.” But the people didn’t answer him a word.”
1 Kings 18:21 CSB
Rich Forbes