2-27 Daily in the Word

Doing, Not Saying

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”

Matthew 7:26–27


Not obeying the Lord is as serious as building your home on a weak foundation.

While D.L. Moody was attending a convention in Indianapolis on evangelism, he asked his song leader Ira Sankey to meet him at six o'clock one evening at a certain street corner. When Sankey arrived, Mr. Moody asked him to stand on a box and sing. Once a crowd had gathered, Moody spoke briefly and then invited the people to follow him to the nearby convention hall. Soon the auditorium was filled with spiritually hungry people, and the great evangelist preached the Gospel to them. Then the convention delegates began to arrive. Moody stopped preaching and said, “Now we must close, as the brethren of the convention wish to come and discuss the topic, ‘How to reach the masses.’” Moody graphically illustrated the difference between talking about doing something and going out and doing it.

I’m sure Moody had heard preaching on the topic of evangelism before and had more than likely preached sermons about it as well. But rather than simply discussing the newest methods, best areas to go to, or the best way to evangelize; he put actions to his words and told others of Christ.

What good would it be for me to write one hundred devotions on the subject of witnessing if none of us actually went out and witnessed to others? While they may be encouraging and communicate to you the need for a godly witness, they are to no affect if we are not witnessing to others.

Even so, God’s Word commands us to share God’s message with the lost. Very clearly in Matthew 28:19–20 Christ shares with His disciples that the main focus of their ministry would be to spread the Good News of the Gospel to the uttermost part of the world, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

So God has commanded us to go and warns us of not obeying His command in Matthew 7:26, “And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand.” God compares the Christian who does not obey His words to a man who builds his house on an unstable foundation.

Are you actively obeying God’s commands? Do you apply His Word to your life each day? God desires that you would not only hear His words, but also obey them. Not obeying the Lord is as serious as building your home on a weak foundation; it will eventually fall! In order to have a firm life grounded in Christ, you must be both hearing the Word of God and obeying the commands God has given.

Spend time reading the Bible right now. Look for commands the Lord has given you. Commit to applying God’s Word to your life and to obeying every command God has presented in His Word.

To find out more about Pastor Paul Chappell visit his blog or follow him on twitter.

To learn more about the ministries of Lancaster Baptist Church and Pastor Chappell, please visit lancasterbaptist.org.

Daily Bible Reading
Numbers 12-14 • Mark 5:21-43