Listening vs. Obeying

Often we listen to something, but then we don't do anything about it. Think of when you're trying to persuade someone to change their behavior. What do you say? Often we say something like, "Are you listening to me?" What we really mean though is, "Are you going to do what I say?"

It works the same way with God. He sees a pattern in us. It looks like this.

Listening = absorbing and accepting information (about God or His ways)
Learning = understanding its meaning and implications
Obeying = putting into action all we have learned and understood

So the problem with most people who identify themselves as Christians is that we listen, but move no further up the scale. Even when we do get to the learning level, we think we're spiritually mature and become content. But the real spiritual maturity is when we move on up to the final level of obeying. What level are you at?