Hearing Versus Listening
Mark 4:24-25
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.”
President Franklin D. Roosevelt got tired of smiling that big smile and saying the usual things at all those White House receptions. So, one evening he decided to find out whether anybody was paying attention to what he was saying. As each person came up to him with extended hand, he flashed that big smile and said, "I murdered my grandmother this morning." People would automatically respond with comments such as "How lovely!"
Nobody listened to what he was saying, except one foreign diplomat. When the president said, "I murdered my grandmother this morning," the diplomat responded softly, "I’m sure she had it coming to her."
There is a lot of talk in today’s world! We have 24 hours of news on demand. Social media gives anyone with a phone an instant platform to say whatever they want, sometimes to their, and the world’s, detriment.
So, yes, there is a lot of talking that we hear, but do we really listen? Hearing means the words got into your head, listening means the words got into your heart.
A lot of people go to church on Sunday and hear every word the preacher says, but are they listening? Have they taken God’s Word and let it find root in their heart and mind? I have said for years that the best compliment you can pay me after one of my messages is not on Sunday. That just means you heard. But when you email or call me later in the week and say, “Jerry, I was thinking about something you said last Sunday…” that’s the greatest compliment of all! That means that the Holy Spirit has taken my words and has been rolling around in your heart all week. That is what listening is all about.
Take some time this week to just listen. When you are in church, or listening to a sermon video, listen intently. Ask God to open your heart and mind to take in what he wants you to learn. The simple act of really listening can transform your walk with God!
Today’s Readings: Numbers 17,18; Psalm 29; Mark 4
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