Come, listen, obey

So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house right on the ground, without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins. (Luke 6:46-49)

Come, listen, obey - a house built on a strong foundation. Listen and disobey - a house built on a pretty wobbly and unreliable foundation. 

Come - take time with him. Get in close proximity to him. Remove all the barriers or distractions to hearing his voice. Seek his face and you will never be disappointed by the time you take out of your day to do just that. It is the beginning of a solid foundation. Hear, but obey - you don't get any 'building blocks' by listening and forgetting what you heard!

Listen - one has to actually open one's ears by readying one's heart. Mind, will, and emotions must be brought into check before we can really hear what he desires to say to us. When we really want to hear someone, we get ourselves in a position and a place to hear them well. This is no different when it comes to listening to his still voice. We need to 'position' ourselves to hear by preparing our hearts to respond!

Obey - steps are taken 'toward' obedience and they are taken 'into' obedience. As we move toward God and what he tells us we need to do, we must follow-through with moving into what he reveals. Too many times, we know the steps we are to take, but we freeze up when it comes to taking them. The first time on a high-dive board will take your breath away. The moment you traverse to the edge of it, the more fear will rise because of what you have committed yourself to doing. You must go beyond the edge to experience the full immersion.

The more we come and listen, the more we will see steps of obedience as important to take, but not impossible. As we take them, we may not realize their impact until we look back at the foundation that has been laid in taking them. A house relies upon the stability of that foundation. If it falters, the whole building will have problems with its integrity. God is concerned with the integrity of our hearts. When we take the steps INTO obedience, we find that integrity grows stronger. Maybe we don't appreciate that the steps of obedience, small as they may be, are making any difference, but each one taken adds to the integrity of the foundation. Just sayin!