Blessing Comes from Obeying God’s Word

Blessing Comes from Obeying God’s Word

BY RICK WARREN — OCTOBER 15, 2014

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“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)

Receiving, reading, researching, remembering, and reflecting on the Word of God are all useless if we fail to put what we learn into practice. We must become doers of the Word (James 1:22).

I understand this is a hard step, because Satan fights it so intensely. He doesn’t mind you going to Bible studies as long as you don’t do anything with what you learn.

We fool ourselves when we assume that just because we have heard or read or studied a truth, we have internalized it.

Actually, you can be so busy going to the next class or seminar or Bible conference that you have no time to implement what you’ve learned. You forget it on the way to your next study! Without implementation, all our 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).

I cannot overstate the value of being a part of a small Bible study discussion group. We always learn from others truths we would never learn on our own. Other people will help you see insights you would miss and help you apply God’s truth in a practical way.

The best way to become a doer of the Word is to always write out an action step as a result of your reading or studying of or reflecting on God’s Word. Develop the habit of writing down exactly what you intend to do.

This action step should be personal (involving you), practical (something you can do), and provable (with a deadline). Every application will involve either your relationship to God, your relationship to others, or your personal character.

Talk It Over

• What has God already told you in his Word to do that you haven’t started doing yet?
• How has your small group been an encouragement to be a doer of the Word?
• What has been the value to you of being part of a Bible study or conference? How have you applied what you learned?

Answer the Door TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “...Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” (Psalm 30:5, NLT) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria Scripture says that joy comes in the morning. When you wake up each morning, God sends you a special delivery of joy. It comes knocking at your door. When you get up in faith and make the declaration that “this is going to be a good day,” do you know what you just did? You just answered the door. You just received the gift of joy that God sent to you. The problem is that some people never answer the door. Joy has been knocking for months and months, years and years saying, “Come on! Let me in! You can be happy! You can cheer up! You can enjoy your life!” Why don’t you make up your mind to answer the door for joy! Decide to wake up every morning and say, “Father, thank You for another beautiful day. I’m going to be happy. I’m going to enjoy this day. I’m going to brighten somebody else’s life. I am choosing to answer the door and receive Your gift of joy, today!” A PRAYER FOR TODAY Father, thank You for joy. Thank You for peace. Thank You for walking me through the difficult times. I choose to answer the door for joy every single morning so that I can walk in the strength You have given to me in Jesus’ name. Amen. PS... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdzve-iE2JA