Doing What Jesus Says

Just hearing God's Word isn't enough, of course. The Bible makes that abundantly clear. God's transforming power in our lives is unleashed when we not only listen, but also act on what we've heard. I've already said quite a lot about obedience in this book, mainly because I believe obedience is an essential ingredient in intimacy with God and the key to having a Mary heart. And obedience is exactly what we're talking about here. Either we take Jesus' words to heart and change, or we listen but disregard them. And to disregard the voice of God is worse than not listening at all. Especially if we say we love him. Unfortunately, it's often easier to talk about obedience than to do anything about it. We'll dissect and analyze God's truth, debate it, and philosophize about it-anything but actually let it affect our lives. And so Pilate's question to the Jews still echoes for us today: What will you do with this man? Because to know him is to hear his words and lovingly obey him, or we know him not at all. (From:Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World)