“Hear ye the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at His word…”

Isaiah 66:5

The Word of  God is alive and powerful (Heb.4:12). It is the Word of God that reveals God to us. (Col. 1:15). It is the Word of God that reveals to us the Truth about God (Isaiah 45:22) and the truth about ourselves. (Jer. 17:9).  It is the Word of God that reveals our need for salvation (Rom. 3:23).   And it is the Word of God that reveals to us the only provision for salvation. (Acts 4:12).  It is the Word of God that reveals our continual dependency upon Him. (John 15:5).

God Himself highly esteems His Word. He magnifies  His Word even above His own name! (Psalm 138:2). Therefore, if God has such a high regard for His Word, shouldn’t we?

When the Lord Jesus redeems us He calls us to follow Him.   It is the Word of God that instructs us how to follow.  When the Lord redeems us He calls us to a life of obedience.  What He calls us to obey is His Word.   We must learn to conform to the Word of God.  The Word of God does not conform to us! (Rom. 12:1). He has not called us to follow our feelings, our emotions, our ideas, or what the culture at large may be saying. No. He calls us to obey His Word. It is the Word of God that instructs us as to how we can successfully and joyfully navigate the maze of life.  It is in obedience to the Word that we discover the reality of Christ and the power of His Word in our daily life.  It is when we walk in obedience to the Word that we discover the adventure and the joy of following Christ.   

When the Lord speaks, He speaks through His Word.  Anything that He speaks can be confirmed by His Word!  That is how we know that what we hear is from God because The Holy Spirit will bear witness to what is spoken through the Word of God.  God will never speak anything that contradicts  His Word.  (Rom.8:14).

Therefore, if one has a low regard for the Word of God; if one does not treasure the Word, read the Word, and tremble at His Word; if one is not interested in learning and discovering the the power of the Word, that might explain why so many who profess Christ, do not really follow Christ.  For the genuine follower of Christ, obedience to the Word is not optional.  As Jesus honored the Word, so do His followers.

Rev. James W. Black