ACTING ON THE WORD

Reference text: Luke 11:27-28

There is a stage in life when hearing alone is not sufficient, times when instruction without action becomes a waste of time. Therefore, in today’s Gospel, Jesus responds to the woman’s praise by saying ‘those who indeed have to be envied are those who hear the word of God and keep it ‘(Luke 11:28).

Tying in with the exact same words, James in his letter emphasised exactly what Jesus meant. In James 1:22-24, we read “Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don’t act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.”

The word of God is a revealer, it is a mirror through which we can see ourselves through the lens of God. Forgetting to act on the Word therefore, is akin to losing track of who we are. There is a confidence one obtains when the Word takes root, as well as a promised blessing that follows the obedience to the Word of God.

This is the reminder: “you must never stop looking at the perfect law that sets you free. God will bless you in everything you do, if you listen and obey, and don’t just hear and forget'(James 1:25).

#sly