(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)
““As for you, son of man, the children of your people talk about you by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak to one another, everyone to his brother, saying, ‘Please come and hear what the word is that comes out from Yahweh.’ They come to you as the people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear your words, but don’t do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goes after their gain. Behold, you are to them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they don’t do them. “When this comes to pass—behold, it comes—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.””
(Ezekiel 33:30-33)
“If anyone teaches a different doctrine and doesn’t consent to sound words, the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness, he is conceited, knowing nothing, but obsessed with arguments, disputes, and word battles, from which come envy, strife, insulting, evil suspicions, constant friction of people of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. Withdraw yourself from such. But godliness with contentment is great gain.”
(1 Timothy 6:3-5)
God is not shy about telling us what is coming. He tells us about the good things. He warns us about the negative things. He gives us a lot of time so that we can choose to accept His correction and return to doing what is right from His point of view. He gives us a lot of time so that we can choose to stand on what is right and not move off to the left or to the right. However, not everyone listens. They get all caught up with the eloquence of who is speaking God’s words, but they ignore the words. They are thrilled that they are involved, witnessing the move of God. But they don’t comply with it. They don’t align with Him. They don’t DO, they only HEAR.
Nothing has really changed about the way people work. Not since the very beginning. We make the same types of choices today as they did then. We get caught up in the same kinds of things. We don’t listen the same way. Prosperity, for example, is great. It’s a wonderful thing. But it doesn’t start with stuff. It starts with us being content with where we are. Looking to the future as a goal, not something to be jealous of. Happy at every stage of the game because God is our satisfaction. Seeing prosperity as a way to bless others and really step up, not something to hoard or that makes us better than other people. Finding solace in God first and foremost and THEN under His direction, seeking to improve our lives is the only way to proceed. It starts with LISTENING to Him followed by being SATISFIED with Him and what we have because of Him. That focus on Him gives us our perspective. It gives us our good things. It gives us everything important in life. It makes sure we are in a position to DO and not just HEAR.
Summary
What would be the point of hearing from God if you weren’t going to obey Him? If we’re not going to do the thing that He says is the answer to what is going on around us, we really shouldn’t ask. We shouldn’t bother to seek Him. The ONLY point of seeking God is to be obedient to what we hear. Being focused on the things of this life is how we get caught up with selfishness, slander, negativity, anxiousness, depression, mental strain, and every bad thing. Being focused on God and on the things of His Kingdom is how we get to enjoy peace, patience, gentleness, satisfaction, and steadiness. All good things come from Him and He is the Source of all good things. Listening to Him and obeying what we hear is how we get content with where we are and what we have – even if we seek to better our position in life. When we do things from His point of view, it’s about the impact we can make. The difference we can make. The blessing we can be. The obedience we can model. To hear and do. To follow Him. That’s the way to live.
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