“But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand.”

I’m a fan of the language App, Doulingo.  With just a few minutes a day, consistently used, one can pick up the basics of a new language.  It’s fun and engaging.  It’s too bad not all Apps are as good.  But, even as good as it is, Duolingo is totally ineffective if all that we do with it is to listen and not perform the exercises as practice for learning the language.  I am reminded that we might provide lots of information and instructions, but unless that is usable and compelling enough to actually have us listen, learn and remember then we are just wasting our energy, resources and time.  Worse yet, we are creating a perception by our customers that we don’t care enough to make something interesting and worthwhile for them.

Should we just listen to what God tells us and go about our own way?  Or, should be listening and then put into practice what He is teaching to us?  Of course, we are to do the latter, but how often do we consistently do so?  We don’t, even though we know that when we don’t we are being foolish and reckless (like building a house on sand).  But, God welcomes us back from each of our bad decisions and even when we act as though we haven’t heard a thing He has been saying to us.  So, today when we have a misstep, or we fail from what we know He would want us to do, we can do like what works so well in Duolingo; take 5 minutes to hear God through His Word and then go practice what it is that we heard.  We can be assured that God will provide just the right lesson for us.

Reference: Matthew 7:26 (New Living Translation)