“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations… (Matthew 28:19)
When I was a kid, I loved the word 'okay'. It had magical power in pacifying instructing adults. “Make sure you do your homework.” Okay. “Clean your room.” Okay. Only the wise looked into my glazed little eyeballs and realized I didn’t hear a word they said. Have you ever treated God like one of those pesky adults interrupting your escape from reality? Jesus knew this propensity. He began the Parable of the Sower with “Listen!” (Mark 4.3) and ended with “He who has ears, let him hear.” (Mark 4.9). Later, He would give a strong warning about the way we listen (Mark 4:24-25). Even the Father weighs in on this matter, “This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!” (Mark 9.7). The first skill we must learn as His disciples is to be a good listener. But how can we hear Jesus? God can speak to us in many ways, but His primary and clearest way to speak to us is through His Word, the Bible (Heb 4.12, 2 Tim 3.16). How well are you listening?
When I was a kid, I loved the word 'okay'. It had magical power in pacifying instructing adults. “Make sure you do your homework.” Okay. “Clean your room.” Okay. Only the wise looked into my glazed little eyeballs and realized I didn’t hear a word they said. Have you ever treated God like one of those pesky adults interrupting your escape from reality? Jesus knew this propensity. He began the Parable of the Sower with “Listen!” (Mark 4.3) and ended with “He who has ears, let him hear.” (Mark 4.9). Later, He would give a strong warning about the way we listen (Mark 4:24-25). Even the Father weighs in on this matter, “This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!” (Mark 9.7). The first skill we must learn as His disciples is to be a good listener. But how can we hear Jesus? God can speak to us in many ways, but His primary and clearest way to speak to us is through His Word, the Bible (Heb 4.12, 2 Tim 3.16). How well are you listening?
