To Hear and Do Christ’s Words
Today’s Bible Verse:
Luke 6:47 ESV
(Jesus said) “Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like.”
Jesus invites us to consider what it means to hear His words and live them out. In this verse, Jesus illustrates a wise builder who lays a strong foundation upon the rock. This is a call to a faith that doesn’t stop at simply knowing what God says but actively trusts Him by obeying His teachings.
In his explanations in the Catechism, Martin Luther consistently pointed out that faith is more than knowledge; it is a living, trusting relationship with Christ that bears fruit in good works. We are saved by grace alone through faith, not by works, but that faith is never alone. It expresses itself in our love for God and others, as Jesus modeled.
To "hear and do" Christ's words is to build on the rock of God’s promises. The storms of life—hardships, doubts, temptations—will come, but the life built on Christ will stand firm. In Lutheran theology, we understand that it is by the Holy Spirit working in and through us that we can respond to God’s Word in obedience. This obedience is not our work but a gift of grace shaped by our connection to Christ.
Prayers
A Prayer for Today:
Heavenly Father, You have given me Your Word to guide, comfort, and transform me. Help me not only hear Your words but also trust them and act upon them. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.