Monday, December 28, 2015

Day 362 - Don't Miss Out

"... the team listened to my instruction and improved..."

It is so simple we often miss it. I have overlooked the simplicity many times. In fact I usually want to make it harder on myself than it should be just to be more pious or something like that. It doesn't work though. 

God intended for us to live a blessed and abundant life. There are too many verses to prove it and I won't be convinced otherwise. Even in the Old Testament God was trying to bless the socks off the children of Israel but they weren't having it. (Don't believe me? Still think God is an angry old miser in the Old Testament? Read Nehemiah chapter 9 and then tell me what you think.) 

God made it so simple though. Just hear His word, understand and do it. If we can simply hear, understand and do we will be blessed. When we lack or fail in any of these areas we will not be blessed. I didn't say it was easy, I said it was simple. 

Hearing is probably the easiest part of the process though. You can study the Bible, pray and listen to preaching in order to hear the Word of God for your life. But then comes the understanding. This is where you have to look at what you are hearing with spiritual eyes. You can ask the Holy Spirit to explain it to you. Read it i=over and even ask people who you trust to know the Word of God to explain it to you. This is also one of the many reasons it is good to have a home church where you can hear the systematic teaching of God's word so that you can get a better understanding through repeated messages and built systems of doctrine (that is a fancy way of saying teaching of a subject). 

Next comes doing. Again, not always easy but simple. When we hear we will show how much we understand by what we do. If you know the blessing then you will go after it. If you know the reward then you will labor for it. It just makes sense because it is so simple. I know I personally will endure a workout to feel good and to look good. I will abstain from foods that I like in order to feel good and look good. I know the reward so I will put myself through the pain in order to get to it. With God's word it is no different. If we truly understand what God is offering to us we will endure any hardship and make the changes we need in order to succeed. 

It is so simple and yet we may miss it if we are not careful. Don't miss out. Hear, understand and do. 

Have you seen this work in your life? What are some other ways to have a better understanding?

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