Each and everyone of us has a Spiritual journey that God has cut out for us. We may be called for the same or similar destinies, but the process that God takes us as He prepares us for our destinies are totally different in as much, our destinies may be similar.
As I mentioned yesterday (Read Here), there are 5 things/ways God uses to prepare us and to stir up our faith to grow. One of the things that grows our faith is when we are exposed to practical, biblical teaching that we are able to apply to our lives. God will always make sure that we are exposed to biblical teachings that are sound, and the end result of this exposure should be for us to be able to apply the same in our lives not just gathering this information.
We see Jesus teaching in Matthew 7, and He speaks on so many issues of life, but it is His conclusion in vs 24-29 that caught my attention. He says [paraphrased]
“These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock… “But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When Jesus concluded his address, the crowd burst into applause. They had never heard teaching like this. It was apparent that he was living everything he was saying—quite a contrast to their religion teachers! This was the best teaching they had ever heard.” [Matthew 7:24-29 MSG]
One thing you need to know in life is that simply knowing things doesn’t make any difference. It’s what you do with that knowledge that makes the difference. Jesus taught in parables and simplified His message because His messages were more about application and not simply giving knowledge. Reading from Matthew 5 all the way, the Sermon on the Mount was essentially all about application, and this is the attitude we should have every time we get an opportunity to hear the word of God. We do more of application than gathering knowledge and teachings.
James reminds us “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.” [James 1:22-25 NLT]
One of the things that builds up your faith is when you put yourself in environments where people teach the Word of God, not just in terms of “here’s something else to know,” but getting to the place of application of the heard word. Jesus said the reason the house in this parable didn’t fall is not because they knew about the storm and how to build the house. This is because they did the right thing; they actually built on rock, and that’s what it means to listen and to obey the things Jesus taught.
You do not just acquire information, you must do something with the information you get. If you want your life to be like a person who built a house on a solid foundation, you’ve got to do and apply these things you learn. You can’t just believe it. You have to do it. Doing is what makes the difference.
Being consistently exposed to teachings that are application-oriented is one of the things that grows your faith. Pst. Lane Jones says “Unapplied truth is like unapplied paint. It doesn’t do anybody any good. The value of paint is in the application.”
You may have something that is very expensive and magnificent, but as long as you haven’t put it into its proper use, it remains under-utilised. So is the word of God. Powerful in its nature and form, but until it is applied, it remains just information.
One of the key building blocks of Faith is being in an environment where somebody is teaching God’s Word in an applicable way, because everyone who hears the words of Jesus and puts them into practice is like a wise person who builds their house on a rock and there is a blessing to it.
APPLICATION:
- When was the last time you learned some truth from God’s word and then put it into practice in your life?
- If you can’t remember any, it is time that you make it a habit to inculcate this culture of applying the word of God as you read the same. If need be, get an accountability partner.
I believe the prayer we all need to make is: “God, help me to listen to your Word and to put it into practice. Show me how to apply what the Bible says in my everyday life.” - Amen!
Shalom!