Years ago a guy told me he had recently switched churches because at his previous church, “People knew a lot about the Bible, but their knowledge rarely left their heads.” Knowledge of God, his Word, and the gospel should not just hang out in our minds but change our hearts and our actions as well, he said.

Bob Goff, an injustice fighter, philanthropist, and author has an interesting idea about applying God’s Word to your life: Don’t just participate in Bible studies but in Bible “doings.”   

I love that concept, but not because I’m advocating to stop studying God’s Word. What I’m saying is don’t stop there. 

God encourages us over and over to not just read his Word and know what it says but to put it into practice. “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (James 1:22). This means obeying God, living out our faith, and sharing the gospel.

Jesus’ story of the wise and foolish builders in Matthew chapter 7 is interesting because he doesn’t just say knowing God’s Word is like building your life on a rock. What he says is, “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (verse 24).

Let’s be real: We’re sinners who can’t do this perfectly. We’ll often fail at living out God’s Word. Thank goodness his love doesn’t depend on our actions and that his grace covers us in forgiveness, motivating us to continue on.