He who has ears, hear
He who has ears, let him hear
Do you have a favorite phrase? Maybe more than one? We are all aware that Jesus tried as best he could to relate God’s love and will for the people he influenced. The words he spoke, as you will often hear me say, were purposely articulated to those who came to listen. One of his oft repeated phrases was this one…
He who has ears, let him hear…..
Luke 8:16-18
"No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him."
The purpose of light is to let one see something else, not the light. In our natural sight, we cannot look upon the sun or the Son in their respective glories.
I know that just messed up some of your theologies and traditions of thought about Jesus and his message.
Romans 1:20-21 shows that light is a taken-for-granted absolute that exposes the enemy's tactics. Here’s what it says: “For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”
It’s not that the world is without any knowledge of a “higher being”. It’s that we need to put the definition behind what the world has misled itself to believe. We have the responsibility to put a face with the name, so to speak.
Do you hear the Spirit’s voice leading?
Jesus had just finished relating the parable of the sower of seeds and the soils. The path soil are those whom the devil easily comes along and steal the seed. The rocky soil represents those who have no roots and die. The thorny soil represents those who are choked by the cares of this world and do not mature. The good soil, obviously, takes root and brings forth a crop.
But here’s the thing about all of these soils: they all had the potential to take root and produce fruit!!! We have the responsibility of soil preparation. When Dana and I lilved in Franklinton, we chose what part of the 5 acres we owned was cleared, and what part was left thick for privacy. At that point, I had the job of upkeep for what I decided. But, you know what? The burden of whether the soil is usable or not does not rest on our shoulders. If we do not see fruit produced, and we have tried to properly condition the soil, we will be reassigned to another part of the task at hand.
Are your ears attentive?
Two aspects of hearing that are supremely important:
1) The manner of hearing, or what you hear
- Are you obsessive in your attention, or are you A.D.D.?
- We recently talked about perspective….pessimist or optimist
- Dissecting the terminology…read into too much or too little. Naive vs over-protective
2) The matter that is heard.
- What are the conditions you find yourself?
- Who is your greatest influence?
- How much weight do you put into what you are hearing?
Some things should not be heard at all. Some that are heard should be forgotten. Others should be treasured and practiced.
We must diffuse our light.
Did you hear that? repeat it…
Jesus is the light that burns within us, but we must shine bright before others. It exposes the enemy’s lies. It reveals the sting of death that awaits all sinners. But even more importantly, it forever engraves he who is our Creator and Savior.
What is committed to you in secret should be made manifest by you, for your Master did not give you talents to be buried, but to be traded.
The gifts we have will either be continued to us, or taken from us, according as we do, or do not, make use of them for the glory of God and the edification of our brethren.
The parable of the talents that Jesus taught shows us that those who share and use their talents gain more, and those who hoard their talents lose what they think they have. By opening up and putting out what you have, you gain….by holding fast to what you have, you lose. So also in the parable of the farmer who had an abundant crop, built storage sheds to keep all that was harvested, and lost it, rather than giving to those less fortunate.
In conjunction with the parable of soil, the outcome is contingent on preparation. You should prepare yourself in prayer and seeking God before, during, and after the times that we gather together here.
Do you consider yourself good soil? Then you have to constantly pick out the weeds and unwanted plants from your soil. It’s a daily task. If you don’t attend to the Spirit’s leading daily, then what you end up with is a mess!!! Examine your life and identify the weeds trying to take root and mess up what beauty God has planned for you.
Do you consider yourself bad soil? All it takes is a little preparation, and God can work wonders. Jesus will bring the Miracle Grow if you provide the soil in need. He will bring Round-Up, a shovel, hoe, rake, shears, a saw….whatever it takes…..and it might not be all that comfortable….but the end result will ALWAYS be better than exposing yourself to this world for one more minute.
He created the Garden of Eden. He created that thing that you can imagine in this life that is not even worth the effort of trying to compliment due to it’s overwhelming beauty. He created you and worked out a lifetime of opportunity that only you could appreciate and live. And he’s here right now, tools in hand, seed ready to plant, to make your life special.