The Best of Intentions

Luke 11:27-28 - And it happened, as He (Jesus) spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breast which nursed You!"  But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it!"

  

That last line jumped off the page at me this morning.  Jesus says that 2 things define a blessed life: HEARING the Word and then KEEPING it. In our world of information overload, it is SO easy to become people marked by good intentions but poor follow-through.  We can find ourselves moving from inspiring moments to inspiring moments where we're ever excited about the possibilities of change but never actually changing.  

• Someone's testimony about the Lord touching their lives can inspire us to see similar impact in our own lives. 
• We hear a sermon that convicts us about areas of weakness in our walk with the Lord and are determined to address it.
• We hear about a noble cause and decide to give ourselves towards it.

All of these are great means of inspiration, but they must lead to action to take effect in our own lives.  Inspiration, while often free on our end, often required great sacrifice on the other end.  We see the power of what the Word of God can do through others and are moved.  (and rightfully so!)  But on the other end of that excitement is the long and challenging process of walking it out.  This is part of the process of "keeping His Word."  There's a journey that requires the companionship of several key resources:  endurance to not give up in the face of frustration, strength to keep focused on the goal in light of distractions and faith to believe when it all seems impossible.  These are all things that the Lord stands ready to impart, but it requires more than good intentions on our part.  They require action. 

Keeping God's Word often brings us face to face with our sinful flesh.  Keeping God's Word requires us to walk in the good works He called us to, not just talk about them.  Keeping God's Word requires an intentional partnering with God today, not putting it off until a more convenient time.  It's uncomfortable, messy, painful and challenging.  But it's also beautiful, freeing, fulfilling and rewarding.  It's the path to blessing.  Jesus said the way to life is through death.  He said to pick up your cross and follow me on the journey of your life. We are inspired by life and the journey.  We shrink back from death and carrying crosses.   

But what if we asked the Lord to help us be people who not only hear the Word, but see it manifest in our lives as we walk it out.  What if we narrow the funnel of information bombarding us each day and widen the funnel of time and energy we put into walking and keeping what we are being called to do.  What if we determined to be people who are moved, not only by inspiration, but by determination.  Determination to hear, understand and walk in ALL that the Lord has for us.  Determination to partner with Him to build 'line upon line, precept upon precept.'  It may not always be glamorous, but it leads to His blessing.