Belief and Faith

The Gospel for today (Luke 11:27-28) is a story about a woman from the crowd listening to Jesus speak saying, "Blessed is the one who bore you and nursed you!" Jesus replied, "Surely blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it as well."

Speakers captivate their audience with the authority and confidence they deliver their speech, these must be the reasons that moved the woman to praise the mother of Jesus who bore and nursed him. Jesus’ reply must have confused the woman as it did to me. But on thinking of it, yes indeed those who listened to the words of God and kept and practiced what they heard are more blessed!

Based on my own experience, sometimes I get so engrossed with the speaker’s pleasing visual and audio attributes that the message they want to impart seem like a background music that fades away after the thunderous applause of a well delivered speech. Yes, I listened but did I believe it and acted on it? Sometimes …, more often I believed, but just let it be.

The meditation after the Bible readings made me realize that I still have to increase my faith to experience the fulfillment of God’s promises in my life. Belief and faith are not the same. Hearing or reading God’s word is believing Him and His teachings, acting on those beliefs is having faith. Belief is the abstract side and faith the concrete side, it is the action to our thoughts.

In order for God's word to do good in our lives, we must believe and act upon it, and do what it says!