How Do We Respond ?

Monday, March 15th, 2010

"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves."
How do respond to what we hear or read?

The key approaching God Biblically is responding as God would have us to. If we go to church week after week and our heart is stirred but our life is not changed as a result, we are failing to see the importance of God's Word in our lives. We are commanded to hear the Word of God as well as let it settle into our hearts and cause a change in our lives.
Luke 224:32 says, "Did not our heart burn withing us, while He talked with us by the way, and while He opened to us the scriptures?" When God's Word speaks to our hearts, many times our hearts will burn. I'm talking about a sense of conviction and a burning desire to make the truth of God's Word real in your life. A lot of times when we feel this burning sensation, it is a very real sense God is speaking to us personally.
Let me say here, one can only have this experience if he/she goes "wanting" to come face-to-face with God. Do we go to get someone off our back? Do we go simply out of spiritual duty? Do we go with an attitude of, "Okay, I'm here, but I dare God to bless me". If these are our attitudes, we will pretty much get what we came expecting to get which is, 'NOTHING'.
Bible preaching should cause us to see things in our lives that need to change.
When we allow this to happen we should then walk away from hearing God's Word with a meaningful worship experience where our hearts have been touched and our lives challenged.
This kind of truly changing experience only comes as we approach God through the reading and preaching of His Word.
Preaching is not aimed at our intellect or how smart we are; it is aimed at our heart and when we listen with our hearts, we are able to understand much. If we ever have any questions, I'm sure there is someone we could seek out who would love to be our guide.
When the Word of God is preached in a local church, it is with the purpose of bring people face-to-face with God. It is up to us, how we respond, that allows this to happen. When we open
our Bibles, whether it be for personal Bible study or in a church service, our fellowship with God begins. When we obey the Word of God in our daily living, our fellowship with God continues to grow.
The foundation of the Christian life is the Word of God. This is one reason why I stress forming a habit of "DAILY" Bible reading. It is the foundation of my Christian life. I know my Bible is a living Book. It is the inspired, preserved Word of God and I am entering into the presence of God every time I read it(or hear it).
May God bless those who seek intimate time with Him and well as those who do not.
In Christ,
Stephanie