But the seed sown on good soil represents those who open their hearts to receive the Word and their lives bear good fruit—some yield a harvest of thirty, sixty, even one hundred times more than was sown! (Mark 4:20 - Passion Translation) .
What we do with the Word of God determines our contribution in the kingdom of God. The Word is designed to take the Father’s place in our hearts during our time on earth before our life here ends and we see Him in heaven. God and His Word are one!
Notice what Jesus said in Mark 4:24 (Amplified): And He said to them, be careful what you are hearing. The measure of thought and study you give to the truth you hear will be the measure of virtue and knowledge that comes back to you — and more besides will be given to you who hear.
We only get out what we put into the kingdom of God. Remember that the Word is like a seed that germinates. The seed takes time to grow large enough to be seen. Jesus said that the mustard seed is a small seed that eventually grows into a tree so large that the birds have a place to nest and the animals have a place to shelter.
The kingdom of God starts out very small in your life when the Word is planted in you. But as you spend time in the Word, aligning your life with it, the Word slowly grows until it’s large enough to be seen in you. Eventually others can partake of the benefits of the Word in your life as you minister it to them.
A little attention once in a while with the Word may cause you to be a doer of the Word 30% of your time. The rest of your time is then spent in unbelief and the flesh! No wonder the uncommitted have problems!
The 60% hearer Jesus spoke of is a doer of the Word 2/3 of their time. That means that 1/3 of their time they are probably in the flesh and responding to problems just the way an unbeliever responds. That means basically that 1/3 of this person’s time creates problems for them.
But the 100% hearer is a person who acts on the Word all day long! They don’t cater to the flesh and unbelief at all! This person walks in love 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! In every situation of life this productive believer asks himself, what does God’s Word say about this, and this believer constantly adjusts His behavior to line up with God’s Word. This believer walks in love, walks in forgiveness, and only speaks what God’s Word says about the circumstances around him. And this believer is quick to repent when he misses it and sins!
So, ask yourself the question, what can I do to give God’s Word more room in my life? What would it take for me to go from 30, 60 to 100 percent of the time practicing obedience to God’s word? What would need to change in my lifestyle? What friendships would need to be adjusted? What would need to change in what I listen to online and on tv? What would need to change in the kinds of music I listen to? What would need to change in my thought life? What in my conversations would need to change?
Change works best when we change a little at a time. Think about two adjustments you can make from the above questions. Then, choose to alter your choices in those areas today, then tomorrow, then the next day, etc. Remember that according to the prophet Isaiah it’s precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, and there a little (Isaiah 28: 10) that we learn.
I just made an adjustment last week that has been amazing. I am now choosing to listen to my Bible app every time I drive somewhere. I bluetooth it to my sound system. Now, instead of listening to podcasts (which I still do some at other times), I listen to the Word. All that commute time from here to there is building the Word in my inner consciousness. It’s creating a greater hunger for more of the Word. And, I find little phrases of what I listen to coming up here and there in my thought life. Results? It’s drawing me closer to God. I can sense it.
Let’s look for ways to give God’s Word the first place status that it should have in our lives! Let’s refuse to compromise with the flesh, the world, or the devil at all! To receive God’s best, you must give Him your best. Press towards the mark. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you!
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