Obedience to God’s will is the test of true faith in Christ. The test is not words—saying “Lord,
Lord,” and failing to obey His commands. How easy it is to learn a religious vocabulary, even
memorize Bible verses and religious songs, yet not obey God’s will.
When a person is truly born again, he has the spirit of God living within; the Spirit enables him
to know and do the Father’s will. God’s love in his heart motivates him to obey God and serve
others.
Words are not a substitute for obedience, and neither are religious works. Preaching, casting out
demons, and performing miracles can be divinely inspired, but they give no assurance of
salvation.
It is likely that even Judas participated in some or all of these activities, and yet he was not a true
believer. In the last days, Satan will use “lying wonders” to deceive people.
We are to hear God’s words and do them. We must not stop with only hearing (or studying) His
words. Our hearing must result in doing.
Today’s Scripture: “Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it
says” (James 1:22, NIV).
Also read: Luke 6:46-49; 11:28; Mark 3:35.
Action assignment: Concentrate today on being a doer. Make your life evidence of God’s Word
in action. Mentally list several things you want to do today that would please God
WARREN W. WIERSBE
www.backtothebible.in