Rooted in the Word

Searching on Biblegateway.com for references to "The Word", I found 359. 261 were in the Old Testament and the phrase was qualified by "The word of the LORD".

Of the many New Testament references quite a few were references to the parable of the Sower: Matthew 13:1 - 18, Mark 4: 1 - 20, Luke 8: 4 - 18. These 3 accounts of the Parable of the Sower also include Jesus' explanation. The fact that each of these gospel writers included this parable and also the explanation shows the importance of understanding the Word for our lives.

There are many people who hear the Word of God but who fail to acknowledge it in their lives and ignore what they have heard, others who like what they hear but don't allow it to take root (they don't take action to accept the word into their hearts), another group who hear the word and accept it, but don't live by it. They allow the worries or the pleasures of live to dominate their lives and eventually their lives take control, rather than allowing the word to control their lives.

The final group are rooted in the word. For this to happen we need to be reading the Bible and allowing it to feed us daily. I'm still guilty of not doing this. I need to take God's word and allow it to control my life.

Towards the end of May, Steve Peake came over to Coventry to speak on The Word. The golden rule for his family is "Whatever I see in the Word, I will do". They take the promises of God and apply them to their lives. It was a challenging message. I'd always thought that when I read James 1:22

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


The verse referred to doing good works, looking after the poor, loving our neighbours etc. Steve showed me that "Doing the Word" also meant taking hold of God's promises and applying them to our lives. In order to live by God's promises we need to make every effort to read the Bible; when we find promises applicable to our circumstances, hold on to them; learn promises by heart in order that they can be recalled when problems arise.

God's word needs to be the foundation of our existance. It not only tells us how to live but also gives us the strength and ability to live. This is not a life of obedience to a list of rules as in the Old Testament, but a life of freedom.

Spending time with God is the best part of our lives, spending time in God's word is the doorway to God's presence. In the words of Matthew Ling - "The word is a dynamic place to meet with God".