A Listening Ear
Read: Luke 8: 16-18
And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.
25 For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath. (Mark 4:24-25 – KJV)
Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have. (Luke 8:18 – KJV)
Mark reports Jesus message as being careful what we hear, while Luke reports Him cautioning us to be careful how we hear.
Both what Mark reported and what Luke reported are vital maxims for followers of Christ. We have to be selective in what we allow ourselves to hear, and we have to be careful of the manner in which we hear what God has to say to us.
First we have to select what is worthy of our attention, as the apostle Paul urges in his letter to the Philippians:
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. (Philippians 4:8 – KJV)
Once we have decided what is worthy of our attention, we need to go one step further: We need to give attention to how we hear what we have decided is worth listening to. We must take it seriously; we must make sure it does not slip from our grasp.
The worthy things must be applied to our lives, or they become nothing more than sentimentality. We end up loving the words, but neglecting the work those words are designed to accomplish in our lives. We are deceived into imagining we are growing spiritually, when all that has happened, is that we have given mental assent to the words worthy of our attention.
If we are serious about following Christ, we need to do more than that; we need to ruthlessly apply the truth we hear to specific areas of our lives that need attention.
Give Me Ears to Hear
(© Tuesday 5th May 2014 – by Christopher Shennan)
Give me ears to hear that filter
All of the worldly chatter out;
All of the vain philosophy
The world is excited about.
Give me ears that can discern
What is false and what is true,
So my heart can be directed
To the path that will lead to You.
Yet once I know what is worthy,
I need to know just one more thing;
Know just how to apply it, dear Lord,
To the path I am following.
I want the words I listen to;
Those that have been tried and are true,
To be the words that are changing,
And making me become like You.
Picture by Joanne Shennan
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