In the last two messages we’ve considered the importance of our love relationship with God, how Jesus desires our love much more than any of our works and how we must continue in prayer for our love to grow. ALL we do ought to be driven by love! When we study God’s Word, we do so to understand His character, seek His direction, and then to obediently follow where His Word leads; “If you love Me, you will obey what I command” (John 14:15). True love will always express itself in action.
As we continue to study God’s Word, we must never stop with the simple accumulation of knowledge. Knowledge by itself will deceive us into a false sense of spirituality. We must never equate an increase of knowledge with an increased closeness to God; “The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know” (1 Corinthians 8:2). Knowing ABOUT God is only the beginning of the journey toward a closer relationship with Him. An intimate understanding is only gained through the loving application of what we know.
James 1:22-25
“Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the Word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in the mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it – he will be blessed in what he does.”
We will never know the true meaning of faith until we step out and put our faith into practice. We cannot possibly know the peace of trusting God to work for the good in all things (Romans 8:28) until we love Him with all our heart, surrender our life, and allow Him to actually begin His work. Without allowing His words to cause action in our life, we become as the godless who are “always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth” (2 Timothy 3:7). Do we really believe His Word is true? True enough to trust and follow?
God has a message for each of us today, a specific truth He wants us to understand and apply. His message may be delivered through something we hear or something we read, but His words will never change our life and draw us closer until we put them into practice. We will never see the wonder of His truth until we apply His truth in our everyday life!
God is calling us today – He is calling us to know Him and walk with Him in love. The study of His Word (His entire Word from cover to cover!) should never cease, but we MUST take the next step. We must study with the great expectation of hearing His direction for our life. Then as we hear His Word, we must embrace it, step out in faith, and do what it says.
Have a Christ Centered Day!
Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries
**** Reading Plan ****
Apr 16 Joshua 13:1-14:15; Luke 18:1-17; Psalm 85:1-13; Proverbs 13:7-8
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