There is a commercial on television for cell phone service with the punch line, “can you hear me now?”
And then there is that frustrated parent who cries out to her child, “Are you listening to me?”
Jesus basically asked that same question in our scripture reading today. He said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Are you listening to me? Are you being obedient?
Jesus often communicated spiritual truth through parables or short stories or descriptions that take a familiar object or situation and give it a startling new twist.
One time a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town and he told the story about a farmer who went out to plant his crops. As he was scattering seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It cam up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.
What do you mean Jesus?
Some days we read God’s Word, but temptation and the attacks from the enemy take away the Word from our hearts. We are frustrated.
Other days find us receiving the Word with joy when we hear it, but because we are not grounded in the faith, we believe for a while, but by the end of the day we have fallen away. We are heartbroken.
Furthermore, we find ourselves on any given day hearing God’s Word, but as we go on our way it is choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures. We are distracted.
But then there are those days when everything clicks. We read God’s Word, it sinks in and we grow in God. We are growing.
Where is your heart today? Are you listening to God and letting his Word take root in your life? Are you open to hearing what He is saying today?
Hearing and applying God’s Word is a choice. Let’s choose this day to listen.
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I try to repeat the Pledge to the Bible (yes, kind of like the pledge of allegience but there is also one to the Christian flag as well) to myself often: "I pledge allegience to the Bible, God's Holy Word. I will make it a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path and I will hide it's words in my heart that I might not sin against God." It's used in Rangers (as well as the other two and the Ranger Pledge) to get our boys to understand just how important God's Word is to us each day. I wish that I could say that I am in the Word every day but I miss some days. I used to try and make up for those days missed but found that trying to do so just caused me to be unable to focus on what God wanted me to get out of the days reading I was supposed to have.
This was one of the things that I gave back to God on Sunday. There were several things in my life that God brought to my attention during that awesome service that we had. Actually, both services on Sunday were fantastic! Anyway, the services went hand in hand with one of the books I am reading now (called "Set Apart") in that it says we need to devote ourselves to God and ask Him for the guidance of the things we need to correct in our lives. So often, we forget the little sins (yes, I know there are no little sins, they are all sin and all are equal in the eyes of God) and confess our major sins. But God wants us to ask forgiveness for all of our sins and it takes His help to do that.
Be obedient to God. Read His Word. Pray for His guidance. Follow His direction. You will be blessed beyond your dreams. That blessing may not be here on earth but in heaven, your reward will be great!
Love God, love people. Follow His commandments and live fully and eternally.
Jon
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