Importance of Hearing and Obeying

Luke 11:28 "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it."  

Right before this statement of truth from Jesus, someone in the crowd was praising his mother for bringing him into the world.  Jesus would not be distracted from helping the crowd understand who the real blessing goes to.  He announced that those who hear his word and obey it are truly blessed.  

Today it seems to be apparent even in the Christian mindset that God's Word is a great way to be encouraged, the same as any greeting card or word of praise would encourage us as opposed to having the power if acted upon to change the soul - the mind, will, emotions, and our lives when we practice or obey it.  

I was watching a television show the other day, and it highlighted pastors.  I was somewhat confused when, over a few episodes, these "men of God" reached out to secular counsel to get help with marriage, with some discouragement and more.  Flabbergasted would be an understatement of how I feel when God's people disparage His character and the power of His Word to counsel us and others and give hope.  "Why did these men not know God's Word is our counselor?" It promises to make us wiser than our teachers and, on the other side, our enemies. It prevents stumbling and lifts the discouraged. Why did these men, shepherds of God's flock, not know this? Biblical counsel is a genuine need, but secular counsel is to walk with the wicked, stand with the sinner, and sit with scoffers.

We must understand there is a process to receiving the blessing Jesus spoke of.  The first is hearing the Word - we can't just take what we know and grow from it.  Why do I say that?  We may have a commentary in our head that leads to wrong thinking about God's Word.  If we read it again and again to see, hear, and know what God is saying, then we are listening, and listening leads to obeying. Obedience leads to the blessings of God.

It appears from this show that these men are living based on the commentary they have learned over the years, rather than picking up the book, letting the Holy Spirit disabuse them of wrong thinking, and truly hearing what it says. And hearing what it says, and obeying, allows them to lead God's people in a way that draws from their dependence on it, communicating that dependence to others. Not reading God's Word from the perspective of what we think, but from what He says. We allow the Holy Spirit to grow and change us to the image of his Son as we let his word do the work of chiseling our character from the inside out.  Being willing to allow God's Spirit to show us wrong thinking sums up what I mean (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Changing our wrong thinking about God happens throughout our entire lives. Trials and life's circumstances bring this about. It should foment a deeper love and obedience for who we learn God is. Read how Job was changed when trials forced him to understand God's character through the most painful experience of his life. It went from loving what God does to loving who God is. The latter is the ultimate goal of our walk with the Lord.

We know God's Word doesn't speak to every situation directly. But there are principles that speak to most areas of life philosophically. It speaks of motives, relationships, ideas, directions, and the why and who of those concepts. We must put those teachings in place in every area of our lives. We must have heard these principles to know how to best obey in areas that are not directly addressed in the Word. In other words, living to be blessed by God means none of our choices are unimportant, though they may not be a theological principle for every choice.

The next part of the process is to believe what God's word says about the situation it speaks to.  The Word has become trite through many of the sentiments regularly spoken to others when life is flipped upside down.  Let me explain.  When someone is struggling, another person will say with full belief in these words, "God is there for you."  That statement has become so trite, and the response is that many Christians feel bad saying it.  In many cases, the response is "I know," not necessarily a heart, "I know."   Yet the person struggling doesn't live out the reality that they know.  They are not open to the enormity of that encouragement, and because those words are "thrown" out there so often, we don't believe them and don't seek to be blessed by that truth.  When we hear those words, we should never think lightly of them. We should see that encouragement as God's voice pleading with us to trust Him, to seek His promises by opening the book, taking a promise in context, and standing in the comfort of His counsel.  Meditating on the truth so we will prosper in our souls, especially during the most difficult times of life. That is how we find ourselves "Blessed for hearing" and acting on the truth.

Belief foments change in us, though not always our circumstances.

Belief is not a mental assent.

Belief is actionable.

Belief brings God's blessing.

The last step is obeying it.  Sometimes, our beliefs don't align with God's Word, leading to disappointment with God, which we should address by examining the error in our thinking.  To obey God is to believe what He has really spoken through His word, written and living.  We hear correctly when we've read and studied the scripture, and then we can accurately believe and obey what has been said.  Let me add - we will get it wrong, but I do think God is looking to grow us up and to help us in our weaknesses and our wrong thinking. Remember His Word brings correction so we can grow in righteousness. You and I must have a heart that genuinely wants to hear him, and obey him in his way, not our own.  2 Chronicles 16:9 "For the eyes of the LORD run to and from throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him."  This is parallel to the focus verse.  Your hearing and obeying are met by God's seeking and strengthening those who have loyal hearts. Loyal hearts are those who hear and obey. That is the part of the "blessedness" Jesus spoke of.   

Keep reading God's Word as if you had never read the book before.  Read it again and again. Meditate on it as if you want only His thoughts in every situation, minor or major. You must keep open to correction in your thinking.   Get good commentaries, but remember that it is still a man giving you insight.  Learn how to study the Bible by taking an online class in hermeneutics.  Study, study, study, meditate on what you study, and then obey it. Study is not enough if it does not lead to obedience. Do what it says, that is, believing, and you will be on your way to being one who is "Blessed as a hearer that is also a doer."