A Doer of the Word

Friday 4th December 2008

SCRIPTURE
‘It is not those who say to me, “Lord, Lord,” who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven'.
Matthew 7:21

OBSERVATION
Jesus then goes on to give the great teaching about the house built on the rock is the house of the wise man who listens to Him and then acts. There is clearly an expectation from Jesus that action automatically follows the hearing of His words. In fact a prerequisite to entering heaven is that I have listened and then acted. This truth is that important...

APPLICATION
Today there is a choice before me, to listen and act, or not... You would think it is hardly a choice, but it is a struggle for me. Why? I guess because what Jesus is saying goes counter to the natural impulses of my flesh:

Love your enemy.
Think of others first.
Give your coat as well as your shirt.
Go the extra mile for free.
Give without expecting a return...

Not easy sayings, at yet, there they are and I am expected to act by them. But there is an immediate benefit for me as well as an eternal one. It is simply a more fulfilling way to live.
Today I choose to listen, then act.

PRAYER
Holy Spirit, please help me to be a doer of the Word, today.
Little Flower, please pray for me.