Let’s be honest, it’s not hard to HEAR the Word of God. We go to church, we attend class, we hear sermons and podcasts, we read devotionals, and our Bibles daily. We have more access to more Bible content than ever before. The hard part isn’t hearing. It’s doing.
Jesus knew this would be the case. That’s why He wrapped up the greatest sermon ever preached, the Sermon on the Mount, with a challenge.
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock…” (Matthew 7:24)
He paints a picture of two builders. One hears and acts, and his life stands strong when, not if, storms hit. The other hears and ignores it, and everything falls apart. I want you to notice how both men hear the same words. The only difference is that one puts it into practice and the other allows the words to go in one ear and out the other.
That’s where the real challenge lies for us. It’s not about more knowledge. It’s about transformation. We can memorize Scripture, take notes in class, and even lead others, and still be building on sand if we are not living out the words of Jesus.
Let me speak from experience: applying the Words of Jesus gets messy. It’s hard. It means choosing humility when pride feels easier. It means forgiving when you’d rather hold a grudge. It means loving your enemy, controlling your tongue, turning the other cheek, and trusting God when life doesn’t make sense. That’s not easy. But that’s authentic discipleship.
So let me challenge you and ask… What’s one thing you’ve heard recently from the Word that you haven’t acted on yet? One truth you know but haven’t yet lived?
The difference between the wise and the foolish builder isn’t in the knowing, it’s in the DOING.
Let’s be the kind of people who build our lives on THE ROCK. Not just hearers of the Word… but doers.
Don’t just walk away from the next sermon, devotional, or Bible reading unchanged. Ask yourself: How am I going to live this out today? And then… do it.
James writes,
“But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like someone looking at his own face in a mirror. For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of person he was. But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who works — this person will be blessed in what he does.”
~James 1:22-25
In Christ,
Alex Mills