Pastor’s Perspective: Reading the Word and Reacting in Obedience

By Guest Columnist Spencer Sullivan, Pastor, Pelahatchie Baptist

Well, that was fast!  While the summer temperatures and afternoon showers continue, the summer holidays for our teachers and students are sadly over.  School is back in session (or will be in a few days for ERA).  While there may be disappointment for some as that reality sets in, school starting a new year also means something else is just around the corner…Football Season!  In just a couple of weeks we’ll be cheering on our Chiefs and Patriots!  By the end of the month, we’ll be cheering on our favorite college teams and just after that, our favorite NFL teams!  Many people look forward to this season year-round. As I think about our teams currently enduring long practices and training camps, they are putting in the work now to prepare for their upcoming seasons. They train hard and put it in countless practice reps now in order to be ready when the lights come on and the whistle blows in just a few weeks. The best prepared teams and athletes are the ones that can confidently and accurately read the opposing team’s movements and plays and then appropriately react and execute their responsibilities.  Read and react is a phrase that coaches will often yell out to remind their players what they’ve practiced and prepared for.

In recent weeks, I have been personally challenged in a similar way in my walk with Jesus. As I’ve read my Bible, I have noticed examples of God’s people reading His Word or hearing His Word and then that producing a response from His people. The most recent example I’ve read was in Nehemiah.  After rebuilding the wall in Jerusalem, the people gathered as one to hear Ezra, the priest, read the Law of God. The people had just returned to Judea from 70 years of captivity. Because of those years in a foreign land, for many, this was the first time they had ever heard the words of God’s Law. Their response was twofold. There was sorrow and repentance over their sins and the sins of their people. And then there was a response of sincere and genuine worship. These responses were the right and appropriate responses. They read and reacted rightly.  This has been a great reminder to me that we don’t just read the Word of God for the sake of reading it or to tick off a box on our Christian to do list. We don’t just read the Word of God for the sake of more knowledge, although learning more about God and His ways is always highly valuable. We read and listen to His Word because it is His Word to us.  It is our way of understanding who He is and what He expects from us. It is through His Word that we come to know He has done everything necessary for us as sinners to be brought into a right relationship with Him through His Son Jesus. Therefore, when we read the Word of God or hear the Word of God, there should always be a response or reaction. It may be repentance (turning from sin) and faith.  It may be awe and worship for who He is. It may be obedience as He calls us to live for Him. But as we read, there is always a coinciding right response/reaction.

How are you taking in God’s Word? Do you read it regularly? Do you listen through an app on your phone? Has it honestly been a while? The Bible has the power to transform your life. It is the very Word of God! (2 Timothy 3:16) If you don’t know where to start, read the Gospel of John. Start with a chapter a day. If you need help finding a reading plan, reach out and I’ll be happy to help you. But read the Word of God with expectations. Listen for His voice.  And as your favorite quarterback reads the defense this Fall, react rightly to what He says!