We must do more than consume the Word of God. I’ll be the first to admit that I would rather spend all day, every day, studying God’s Word and spending time in prayer with Him. To some, that will sound like boasting, and for others, it will generate an aspiration to be the same way. But the reality is, as wonderful as bathing yourself in the Word of God is, it isn’t enough.
Even if we have more Bible knowledge than anyone else, and spend more time in prayer than the holiest of men, it all means nothing if we don’t do what the Word says. It’s not enough to read and hear; we must hear and do. It is in doing what the Bible says that we prove our love for Christ and demonstrate the genuine transformation in our hearts from death to life (James 1:22–25; 1 John 3:24).
As Jesus’s popularity was growing, His mother and brothers came to speak with Him. Because of the size of the crowds, they weren’t able to get close to Him, so someone got a message to Jesus that His family was there (Luke 8:19–20). The response of Jesus speaks volumes about what God values most. To paraphrase, Jesus said that His true family were those who hear and do what God says (Luke 8:21). Spiritual union with Christ is more precious in God’s sight than any human interpersonal relationship we have. Love for others, while important, does not trump love for God (Matthew 22:36-38; Matthew 10:37; Luke 14:26).
At least one of Jesus’s brothers got the point, as James, the Lord’s half-brother, would later write that faith without works is dead (James 2:15-17). It is those who hear God’s commands and put them into action that prove they love the Lord (John 14:15; 1 John 2:3–4). God gives no extra credit if you read your Bible two hours each day, and no bonus points for the number of sermons you listen to in a week. To hear and not do is both foolish and a waste of time. It’s also dangerous to your relationship with God. As my pastor Kirk Welch says, “Hearing the Word of God and not doing it has a dulling effect on our lives.”
If we want to stay sharp and be able to understand the depths of God’s Word, the key is being obedient to what it says (2 Timothy 2:15; John 7:17; Psalm 111:10). No amount of head knowledge will change your heart. It’s only when we put into action what we know that our hearts begin to change. The principle plays out in the physical realm as well. Having knowledge of how to eat a heart-healthy diet is wonderful but does nothing to care for our heart until we eat in alignment with what we know. The knowledge isn’t what heals our hearts; it’s the action we take.
The commands of Jesus are simple. Love God with all your heart, and then go share that love with everyone else (Matthew 22:37–40). We learn to love God by reading His Word and spending time in prayer with Him (Psalm 119:97; Philippians 4:6). We then prove that love by going out and doing what He tells us to do (Matthew 28:19–20; John 15:10). Life is not about hearing alone, nor is it about doing alone. Many of us can do wonderful things, but without the knowledge of God driving everything we do, it’s all wasted movement (Psalm 127:1-2). Every day, we must hear and do what the Lord says in His Word. Faith apart from works is as dead as works without faith. We seek the Lord in utter desperation and then serve Him in undying love and gratitude. That is what it means to both hear and do.