Soul Scientist

amenable vs. Amen-able

Ephesians 1:18-20 NIV I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,

Webster’s Dictionary defines amenable as “willing or agreeable to accept something that is wanted or asked for.” Merriam-Webster also defines amenable as “someone readily yielding, submitting, or cooperating.”¹ My mother used to pray (and probably still does) that I’d be an amenable child in receiving instruction. And I was (sometimes), both then and now.

I’m not a word expert by any means but I’d define (and thus, differentiate) Amen-able from amenable. Amen-able is a solid Gospel truth proclaimed clearly and plainly from a pulpit or lectern in words and through the actions of a person’s life or legacy. That unmistakable irrefutable foundational Scriptural principle which demands a response from my heart and my lips by saying “Amen!”, “Yes!”, or “I agree!”. (Side note: Amen always requires an exclamation point with it, both in my childhood and now, and with my mother and me. (Grin!))

To clarify this thought:

amenable = submission in attitude and action to God as a Christ-follower.

Amen-able = proclamation in word and worship of God as a co-heir of Christ.

As different in meaning as these two same-spelling words are, they are identical as two necessary tools in the fulfilling of God’s plan for my life. I need to be both amenable to God in my work and Amen-able of God’s at work in me. A life lived as unto Christ requires both walking paths straight (amenable) and knowing the hope and future set for me (Amen-able) (Proverbs 3:5 NIV and see Jeremiah 29:11).  

God calls me to be both amenable and Amen-able.

He calls me to be a leader in speaking the truth in love (Amen-able) and a follower in daily dying that Christ might live in and from me (amenable) (Ephesians 4:15 NIV and see Galatians 2:20, respectively). For me, most of that daily declaring and daily dying requires a constant grip on grace. Only grace is strong enough to hold my tongue and change my thoughts while transforming my heart (see Romans 12:1-2). And only that heart transformation from grace sends me to my knees in amenable submission and service and to my very top tippy-toes in Amen-able praise and prayer.

Such a transformation then opens my mind to begin to try and understand the synergistic strength of amenable and Amen-able. They’re doubly powerful attitudes and actions in receiving God’s plan as good and relaying God’s praise in gratefulness. Working together, they open my days to be shaped and my life to be sanctified by that same dunamis power which raised Christ from the dead then and me from the depths of sin now (Ephesians 1:19 NIV).

That kind of power is not just beyond understanding; it’s the far more beyond what I can ask or imagine on any day with any person in any circumstance (Ephesians 3:20-21 ESV). That far more is distinctive in a daily life rich in gratefulness and gentleness which points straight to the goodness of our Good God. And if you’re anything like me, you want that kind of life filled up and over with the far more of Jesus. Having Him present in the amenable and Amen-able is possible in today and everyday yet to come for everyone who will come (see Matthew 11:28-30).

Every day we can glory in the goodness of our Good God until that glorious day of Christ’s appearing John talked about in Revelation 22:20 CEB The one who bears witness to these things says, “Yes, I’m coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

Here’s more info on your invitation to join me in a 5-week series on living well in suffering called “Count it all joy – you’ve got to be joking!”. This series continues through Wednesday 6/25/25 at West Jackson Baptist Church (WJBC) at 6pm CST in the Generations Hall. WJBC is located at 580 Oil Well Rd., Jackson, TN 38305. If you can’t make it in-person, all 5 nights of the series will be recorded and available to you for free here on this website. Please come (or watch) and bring a friend (or 3)!

¹ Merriam-Webster dictionary, online access via google, 5/13/25

written by and copyrighted to Beth Madison, Ph.D., 2025.