Day 19: 'While Listening, They May Not Understand'
Read: Luke 8:9 - 10
“Don’t believe everything you hear” In this age of the internet where
rumors spread faster than a wild fire and people’s opinions are
presented as fact, that is very sound advice for anyone to pay very
close attention to. But while it is sound advice to be discerning in
what we believe, we often take this to mean “Don’t believe anything you
hear.” We have become a people who are extremely skeptical of all that
we hear. The simple fact is that we need to give a full hearing to
some of the things we hear. For Jesus' disciples hearing the Parable
looking around made interpretation easier.
But what about
Jesus' Parables? What about what we hear about living with a view to the
future? What about actually taking an action in response to hearing and
doing something meaningful for a future somebody or other? What about
living with a view that what we hear we are then accountable to? In
our passage, this morning, Jesus says that when we hear the word, we
become accountable for it in our daily lives. In our current way of
thinking it's more convenient to read something then push it aside
because of the multitude of interpretations that are preached? What does
it all mean?
'Then His disciples asked Him, what does this
Parable mean? I ask based on my own limited experience "What am I hearing from
You, Lord? Where does hearing lend itself to application? If we hear the
Word and choose to make good use of it, we shall benefit from it and
the opportunity for greater knowledge and grace will come. If we hear
the Word and do not make good use of it, we will not only not benefit
from the Word we hear but will lose out on the opportunity to bear fruit
from the abundance of God's blessings we now enjoy. Our lives will go spiritually backwards rather than forwards.
We need to realize that hearing the Word or reading the Word will not
profit us in our lives unless we believe what we hear or read. The Word
works on our hearts and minds and lives only if we believe what it says.
It will not bring any blessings into our lives unless it is received
with faith. Faith says - ‘I believe what I am hearing to be true and
because I believe it to be true I will begin to act on it.’ My friends,
that is how we can know if someone is genuinely receiving the Word,
living with a vital faith.
Let us Pray: O God, please help me
to understand that Your thoughts are higher than my thoughts. Help me
to accept the fact that I may not always understand Your thoughts and
Your ways. Please Lord, remind me of Your promise that if I will call
upon You, You will tell me one more great and unsearchable thing that I
do not know.
http://www.youtube.com/
Read: Luke 8:9 - 10
“Don’t believe everything you hear” In this age of the internet where rumors spread faster than a wild fire and people’s opinions are presented as fact, that is very sound advice for anyone to pay very close attention to. But while it is sound advice to be discerning in what we believe, we often take this to mean “Don’t believe anything you hear.” We have become a people who are extremely skeptical of all that we hear. The simple fact is that we need to give a full hearing to some of the things we hear. For Jesus' disciples hearing the Parable looking around made interpretation easier.
But what about Jesus' Parables? What about what we hear about living with a view to the future? What about actually taking an action in response to hearing and doing something meaningful for a future somebody or other? What about living with a view that what we hear we are then accountable to? In our passage, this morning, Jesus says that when we hear the word, we become accountable for it in our daily lives. In our current way of thinking it's more convenient to read something then push it aside because of the multitude of interpretations that are preached? What does it all mean?
'Then His disciples asked Him, what does this Parable mean? I ask based on my own limited experience "What am I hearing from You, Lord? Where does hearing lend itself to application? If we hear the Word and choose to make good use of it, we shall benefit from it and the opportunity for greater knowledge and grace will come. If we hear the Word and do not make good use of it, we will not only not benefit from the Word we hear but will lose out on the opportunity to bear fruit from the abundance of God's blessings we now enjoy. Our lives will go spiritually backwards rather than forwards.
We need to realize that hearing the Word or reading the Word will not profit us in our lives unless we believe what we hear or read. The Word works on our hearts and minds and lives only if we believe what it says. It will not bring any blessings into our lives unless it is received with faith. Faith says - ‘I believe what I am hearing to be true and because I believe it to be true I will begin to act on it.’ My friends, that is how we can know if someone is genuinely receiving the Word, living with a vital faith.
Let us Pray: O God, please help me to understand that Your thoughts are higher than my thoughts. Help me to accept the fact that I may not always understand Your thoughts and Your ways. Please Lord, remind me of Your promise that if I will call upon You, You will tell me one more great and unsearchable thing that I do not know.
http://www.youtube.com/
Aaron Shust - My Savior, My God
www.youtube.com
I
am not skilled to understand What God has willed, what God has planned I
only know at His right hand Stands one who is my Savior I take Him at
His word
