I have been going to the gym regularly for a while now…not that I’m preparing for any contest though 😊. I just want to stay fit and toned. My trainer focuses on different muscles every day, with the objective of hitting every muscle group at least once each week. To achieve the desired result each day, I have to go through a fixed number of repetitions of an assigned activity for multiple sets. If I don’t hit the agreed number of repetitions and sets, the output will be sub-optimal. Also, as I developed a consistent rhythm of gym attendance, the weights that I use for the strength exercises have progressively increased. If I don’t increase the weights, my muscle toning will become stagnant. If I go back to the old weights, it feels as if I am not doing any work, just like drinking water with a teaspoon when you are thirsty. The measure of result that I feel in my body will depend on the measure of effort that I put in at the gym.
Because of this experience, the verse below in the Classic Amplified Version now comes with added significance to me. I can fully relate.
And He said to them, Be careful what you are hearing. The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you—and more [besides] will be given to you who hear. Mark 4: 24 [AMPC]
The measure of attention we give to the Word of God that we read or hear will determine the measure of fruit that will show forth in and through our lives. The drill should be to consciously engage and meditate until the “Word becomes flesh” in our hearts. In most cases, it would require devotion of a significant amount of time and bandwidth. We should not just hear the Word and get all excited at the moment and then move on as if nothing happened. No matter how deep the revelation might be, we need to build the personal discipline of going back to chew the cud like ruminants to extract all there is for us in the Word. If not, we will ultimately remain at the same spot.
In the parable of the sower, the seed that fell on good ground brought forth fruit that was thirty, sixty, and a hundred times more than what had been planted. In this case, the seed was the same, the fertile soil was the same, but the yield was not all the same across all the fronts. Some sections yielded a thirty-fold return, while some others returned a hundred-fold. What could be the difference? We could come up with multiple suggestions and reasons, but one thing is sure – the fault was not from the seed. The Word is permanently potent. It must have had to do with the measure of something.
For indeed we have had the glad tidings [Gospel of God] proclaimed to us just as truly as they [the Israelites of old did when the good news of deliverance from bondage came to them]; but the message they heard did not benefit them, because it was not mixed with faith (with [a]the leaning of the entire personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness) by those who heard it; [b]neither were they united in faith with the ones [Joshua and Caleb] who heard (did believe). Hebrews 4:2 [AMPC]
It’s not just enough to hear the Word. It’s not just enough to read the Word. It’s not just enough to memorize the Word. The Word needs to move from our ears, our lips and our eyes into our hearts, where all the issues of life flow from. We need to engage with the Word in our hearts until all the issues of our lives are coloured by the Word. The measure of our engagement will determine the measure of the impact of the Word in and through our lives.
When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God of Heaven’s Armies. Jeremiah 15: 16 [NLT]
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