Therefore, whoever hears and does

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

Matthew 7:24 NIV

"I know you can hear me. But are you listening to me?"

If I had a nickel for every time I heard that growing up, I would be a wealthy man today. My mother must have said that to me a bazillion times when I was growing up. (And probably a few times once I was grown!)

She, like every other mother understood that there is a fundamental difference between hearing and listening. One is passive - hearing. And one is active - listening. And active listening usually requires some form of response. Mine was, "Yes ma'am." Followed by hastily doing what I was told. The problem was, I didn't always DO. And I wasn't always quick about it either. And that was usually where the trouble came.

So, what is it there for?

It is there to teach us an important lesson about our relationship with Jesus. That lesson is that an outward conformity to Jesus’ teaching is not enough; Jesus demands that we be doers of His word, not just hearers.

Merely hearing God’s word isn’t enough to provide a secure foundation for our lives. It is necessary that we are also active doers of His word. If we are not, we commit the sin that will surely find us out, the sin of doing nothing. Go check out Numbers 32:23 in the Old Testament and see if that verse is familiar to you. I bet it will be and I bet you will understand that great will be our fall if we are just passive hearers.

Now don't make me sing that old Sunday school song that you remember as a kid!

You know which one I mean!

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