When we merely listen to His words; they go no further than our ears. We remain idle. We are not motivated to respond or obey what we have we heard. We are like the one son in Jesus' parable who said "yes" to his father's request to go into the vineyard and work, but never did. There was no motivation or passion to follow through. The father's instruction never penetrated deeper than his ears. (Matthew 21:28-31)
When the words get beyond our ears and make it to our minds, we contemplate and discuss, but rarely do we move beyond the comfort of these activities. Just like the Athenians who were willing to discuss with the apostle Paul at the Areopagus, but did not respond. (Acts 17) It was all a mental exercise, intellectual stimulation. Sadly, it is this way for many in the church today. We enjoy the comfort of discussion. Discussion carries with it the sense that, what we disagree with, we can disregard. Biblical discussion is fascinating, but God did not speak His Word to stimulate discussion. His Word must go deeper!
When we truly hear His Word our ears take it in, our minds comprehend what we have heard and our hearts receive it. Then are we motivated to respond obediently to what we have heard. The Psalmist wrote, "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." (Psalm 119:11 ) Note where the Word is hidden - in the heart! He is speaking about more than memorizing (though I am sure that is included). God's Word must reach and be received by the heart. Our motivation comes from the heart.
The second son in Jesus' parable (Matthew 21:28-31) responded with a verbal "no" to the father's direction to go into the vineyards to work, but later he obeyed. Sometime between when he first heard the directive and his going into the vineyard, the words of the father penetrated to the heart. That is why he acted obediently.
There is often a difference between what we hear and what we should or need to hear. There are many, many voices shouting for our attention. Therefore, we must pay close attention to hear what we should hear - what we need to hear. More than anything else we need to hear to God. He does not shout. He does not use attention getting gimmicks. He speaks with absolute authority, yet, quietly. Therefore, we need to attune our ears to His voice, fix our thoughts on His Word, and open our hearts to receive His commands. His abiding Spirit gives us the ability to truly "hear", as well as the empowerment to obey what we hear.
"Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like the wise man who built his house upon the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like the foolish man who built his house upon the sand." (Matthew 7:24, 26)
He who has ears to hear. Let him hear!"
Keep Close To Jesus
Pastor Gerry