How Do You Hear?

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

This verse follows the parable of the sower. A parable about God’s Word going out and people receiving or rejecting it, and the results of that effort. In no point in time has God’s Word been more available than today. We have it in every imaginable format and it can be disseminated all over the world.

The real question we must ask ourselves is: “How do we hear”? Not by what method or in what format, but with what ears, and with what heart. How we hear will affect the results in our lives.

I read the following from a friends facebook: My grandfather grew up in Tennessee and spent his youth and young adulthood camping, berry picking, hunting and trapping in the forests there. I was privileged to take a few hikes with him through those woods. I was always amazed at what he saw that I didn't and what he could tell me about things I was barely aware were even there. Because he knew much he saw much and learned more every time he was in the woods. Because I didn't know, I saw little and retained nothing of what he taught me. It reminds me that as we take interest in God’s Word, and learn from the Holy Spirit, more and more will be revealed to us.

God’s Word is unlike any other book or any other piece of literature, because it is living, and because it comes with a special teacher; the Holy Spirit. In Colossians 1:9, Paul prays for the saints that they would be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.

So many of God’s people are ignorant of God’s will, both in this world and in their lives. Not because it is impossible to know God’s will, but because they do not hear well. There are many ‘voices’ in the world of Christendom today, but only one is worth hearing.

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Hebrews 1:1-2.
While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. Matthew 17:5

God has given us His Word, which is a revelation of His Son Jesus. He has also given us His Holy Spirit to reveal the truth from His Word. We have no excuse for spiritual ignorance. How do you hear?

Gordon Crook