Wednesday,
June 2, 2021
Then Jesus asked them, “Would anyone light a lamp and then put it under a basket or under a bed? Of course not! A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light will shine. For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” Then he added, “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given—and you will receive even more. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.” Mark 4:21-25
One of the most memorable advertising icons was the
guy who continually asked, Can you hear me now? That’s somewhat related to what my Dad would
say when talking to his youngest son…Russell Jay, are you listening to
me? (Whenever my tall dad with
the steel blue eyes used both my first and middle names it was time to sit up
and take notice. If he had to add your
last name, the result would not be pretty).
There is something of that in Jesus’ teaching
about listening and understanding. The
meaning is unmistakeable; disciples are not just to hear the words and grasp the
connection of what is supposed to be learned.
Rather, it is a matter of listening with the intention of having the
message change your behavior. And the
purpose for this can you hear me now moment is also very
clear – there are consequences for how we respond. For those who listen and put into practice
what God speaks, there are rewards; skipping this Discipleship 101
class means loss.
So, what are the rewards and losses? They have to do with what’s going on inside
the center of your being, your soul. For
those who develop a listening heart, ready to understand and follow God’s will,
it gets easier to hear His voice. Life,
even with all it’s difficulties and complexity, makes more sense; you learn how
to be content with God’s ways and will, because you surrendered your will to
His. And when the tough times come you’re
not blown off your pins, because you know the entirety of Heaven’s Host has
your back…it will be well with your soul!
For those who maintain defiance, desiring little
to be a follower, but rather a captain of his own fate and choices, the chances
of hearing God’s voice and seeing His blessings in life grow dimmer with each
passing year. The final result is stone
cold deafness to the Word of God, and blindness to how empty life can become.
What Jesus was setting up with his disciples is a
life principle of surrendering our will to God’s will, so that the unseen God
of the burning bush will be speaking, and you will already be un-lacing your
sandals to bow at that holy place, because you’ve learned to listen. Some of that learning was by trial and error…you
walked-away, only to find you were lost on your own…but most of it will be because
you chose faith in the God you cannot see, but Who sees you, and knows even the
intentions of your heart.
For You Today
So,
have you made the decision to surrender that inner person to the One who knows every
atom in your body, heart, mind, soul, and strength?
Judson
van De Venter wrote about 100 hymns in the 19th century. One of his more well-known ones makes the point
about this life of surrender:
All
to Jesus I surrender, Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
Let me feel Thy Holy Spirit, Truly know that Thou art mine.
I
surrender all, I surrender all;
All to Thee, my blessed Savior, I
surrender all.[1]
You
chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!
[1] Title Image: Pixabay.com Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©
[1] Source: Hymnary.org
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