PRACTICE WHAT IS PREACHED

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Philippians 4:9

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Bible messages aren’t just confined to Sunday. Sermons from ministers of the Word of God are available any day and time of the week because of our ability to stream on the internet.

This is a gift to Christian believers because we can always be biblically educated on demand and we all should seek to be educated every day. You’ll remember Jesus, quoting from the eighth chapter of Deuteronomy in Old Testament, said:

“Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” v.3

Receiving the scriptures, whether by way of hearing the Word or reading it, is essential and critical to a believer’s spiritual health. It molds and shapes the Christian mind and heart so to align them with Jesus and, in turn, effect behavior.

In other words, Christians need to put into practice what they are preached whether reading that preaching in the scriptures or receiving it through those anointed by the Holy Spirit with the gift of discernment and teaching God’s Word to others.

This was the point we find Paul making as he continues to share final words with the believers in Philippi through his letter written while in Roman incarceration. Look at what he says in verse 9 of chapter 4:

Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

The Apostle Paul had invested at approximately three months with the Philippian church during his second missionary journey, teaching and instructing them in regard to the Gospel and overall, he was very happy with the way the believers carried on after he departed. The tone of his letter is positive with a general theme of encouragement.

Verse 9 underscores that theme as he urges the Philippian Christians to put his teaching into practice. In other words, Paul was asking the believers in Philippi to practice what he had preached, both in his personal time with them and through what he wrote in his letter.

This idea of making sure Christian behavior aligned with expectations from the scriptures shared by teachers or by personal study of the Word wasn’t just a concern of Paul’s. Consider these words from Jesus’ half-brother, James:

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror  and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. James 1:22-25

Two different writers with the same inspired exhortation prompted by the movement of the Holy Spirit.

We are to practice what we hear or read preached from the Word of God, and why wouldn’t we?

Both Paul and James speak of the benefits of doing so.

Paul tells the Philippian Christians (and us) that “the God of peace” will be with them and James adds that this presence of the Lord will result in the believer being “blessed in what they do”.

I don’t know about you but I want to have God with me with His associated peace and other blessings every day. We can have this as long as we put into practice what we hear and read from the scriptures, our daily bread that keeps our spirits alive.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com