Learning to Listen #31

In John 8, Jesus is having one of those intense discussions with the scribes and Pharisees. He was confronting them with their self-righteousness, and refusal to admit that they too were sinners who needed to be freed by faith in Him. In verse

42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. 43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 

Why were they so resistant? They could not bear to hear His word - literally, to bend a ready ear; they were not willing to listen to Him.  Jesus says "It is an either-or decision: you will listen to God, His Son, His will, His truth, which gives life, or you will be listening to the lies of the murderer, which lead to death. Learning to listen is a matter of turning and training our ears, minds and hearts to hear what God is saying, and turning off the stream of lies the devil sends our way. I hope we've all learned a little this month about why and how listening matters. 

Learning to Listen #30

The book of James is known as a very practical book. Earlier in our series on Learning to Listen we were in chapter 1, where he admonishes us to be slow to speak and quick to listen.  Later in our series we were in the Psalms and saw the connection between being a righteous man and learning to listen. James five pulls the two together:
13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

Why is prayer so powerful? Because God listens. God listens to us as we sing praises to Him. God listens to us as we call out in need. God listens as we call out for forgiveness. God wants us to learn to listen like He does. He wants us to listen to the needs of others and help. He wants us to pray with and for one another in our sins, sicknesses and struggles. God wants us to forgive as we listen to the confession of our brothers and sisters. When the church becomes a people that listens, what a powerful people we will be. 

Learning to Listen #29

The last Proverb we will consider in our study on Learning to Listen is found in Proverbs 20. In it we find a cluster of verses that contrast wisdom and foolishness:

15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
    but a wise man listens to advice.
16 The vexation of a fool is known at once,
    but the prudent ignores an insult.
17 Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence,
    but a false witness utters deceit.
18 There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts,
    but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

It starts in how we view ourselves and others. If we view ourselves as always right, always smarter, or even just most of the time, we tend to do more talking than listening. There is also a difference in how we respond to criticism.  We need to learn not to take every remark personally or defensively; we need to sift it through truth so we can recognize if it is constructive advice, or merely a jab intended to offend. The wise learn to not be easily offended, and not lash back so quickly when criticized. When we do speak, we must speak the truth, in love, and search our hearts first for our motives in doing so, lest we cloud the issue with anything that is not fully true.  This all builds up to the last rule for living: avoid rash responses - daggers dig deep, and the wounds take a long time to heal.  Our goal in sharing truth is not to wound and hurt, but to uncover wounds and minister to them, using the gentleness of Christ in our words.  

Learning to Listen #28

Sometimes the call of God's word to listen is not so obvious; it involves digging a little deeper. Proverbs 20 says:

5 The purpose in a man's heart is like deep water,
    but a man of understanding will draw it out.
6 Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love,
    but a faithful man who can find?

Many times we can look at a person's actions and think we know what they are thinking, and why they are doing what they are doing. We begin to think we can judge their motives.  The reality is that many times we need to go deep into their hearts by listening. That's how a man of understanding "draws out" the purpose and intentions of someone else's heart and mind - really listening. That become more clear when we go on to the next verse for a contrast: we can proclaim to love - say it with our words - but that does not make us faithful or steadfast in loving actions, because what we say, think and do are not coming out of pure motives deep down in our hearts. Learning to listen means learning to love and not proclaim it so much. 

Learning to Listen #27

In Luke 10, Jesus is sending out seventy some disciples, giving them instructions on what to say, what to do, and how to respond when people and cities either receive or reject them. He pronounces woes on those who are not willing to receive them, comparing them to the likes of Sodom and other cities who have no time for God, His Word, or His ways. He then concludes His charge with this remark:
16 “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.” 

Those are very sobering words.  Somehow I don't imagine Jesus gritting His teeth and shaking His fist as He says them. The same is true of His words of woe against those cities which would reject Him. In fact, that word indicates more sorrow than anger.  The point is that God wants people, cities, nations, to hear Him and listen to Him, because if they not they are rejecting God. The same is true of us. If we are listening to God and sharing what He says, and people refuse to listen, our response is not to be one of anger and self-righteousness, put sorrow.  

Thankfully, in the next verse, we get the follow-up, where the disciples report that many did hear, listen and respond favorably to the Gospel. Jesus rejoiced, and gave praise to God. The emphasis was not on those who did not receive them, but those who did. May we listen better, so we get not only the Word of God, but the heart of God, and see more willing to receive Him.

Learning to Listen #26

Learning to Listen is important not only for what you miss if you do not, but for what you end up listening to with an untrained heart, mind, and ears. John tells us in his first letter:

4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. 4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

There are a lot of false voices out there in this fallen world - voices that sound calm, convincing and correct on the surface, but below are backed by the most unsavory spirits.  John says core to the truth of any voice is what they do with Christ: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.  This reaches to the very core of the nature of Christ: that He is God the Son, fully God and fully man; that He came on this mission to return people to God; that He did die for sins, bury them, and rise again; has gone back to heaven, but is coming again to righteously judge everyone and everything. If we leave any part of that out, we lose part of the truth, and open ourselves up to the spirit of error. Have you learned to listen to the Spirit of truth?

Learning to Listen #25

In John 10, the religious leaders are following Jesus around, pressing Him to make a public statement about Who He really was - was He the Christ? In His answer, Jesus says: "Look, even if I told you, you would not believe Me, because if you have been watching and listening, you would know without asking." He then returns to the illustration He was using earlier in the chapter about His being the Good Shepherd:

27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

The Lord's sheep have learned to listen to their Shepherd. They follow Him as the only One who gives life. In Him they find spiritual safety and security; they know He is good and He is great. They know He is one with the Father, so They speak the same message; there is no confusion.  They know they belong to Him, and all the wolves, lions and thieves in the world can never take them away from Him.  Do you have that sense of assurance and security? Today, may we be able to hear His voice and walk in His peace. 

Learning to Listen #24

The prophet/judge Samuel was a prime example of someone in scripture who learned to listen. In I Samuel 3 he records:

8 And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” 11 Then the Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. 

The Lord had been trying to get Samuel's attention, calling out to him in the night. Eli, who himself had become somewhat hard of hearing when it came to the Lord, finally figured out that is what was going on. When Samuel finally responds, he gives the simple, but profound answer Eli had recommended: ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears. Implied, and stated in that response is that Samuel would not only listen, but serve God and do whatever God instructed.  That can be a scary thought, as what God then says is something Samuel, Eli, and their fellow Israelites do not want to hear: God is going to bring judgment. Could it be that is why we "tune God out"? We don't always want to hear what He has to say, so just do not listen in the first place. But we need to learn to listen, and obey, and hear the whole story. The Lord tells Samuel that Eli's household would be judged (and Samuel was then in that household and would have to live through that). Eli actually received the news well, and God used that time to bring revival in Israel. What at first sounds like terrible news can really turn out right, as long as we keep on listening to the Lord.

Learning to Listen #23

Earlier this month we looked in James 1, and the exhortation to learn to listen and live out our faith. We come back today to the last two verses of the chapter:

26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

If we are listening to God, we will begin to understand His heart; we will begin to understand how a relationship with Him affects what we do. When that relationship is pure, with all the other polluting noises filtered out, we will see what is important differently. We will no longer be focused on our own pleasure or success, but on the needs of others, and we will want to clean out any of the impurities and polluting effects of sin out of our thoughts, words and actions. We will be able to bridle our tongue, because listening is more important than talking.  What we do matters more than what we say. Helping widows and orphans are actions representative of selflessness, service and submission to the voice of God. It doesn't mean that's all we do, but we view them as extremely important and act accordingly.  Listening turns to thinking which turns to action. How are your actions being affected by what you have listened to?

Learning to Listen #22

In Revelation 3, John records these words, as he concludes the messages to the churches:

20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

Each of the seven letters concludes with this phrase: 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’” Who has an ear? Everyone does. This challenge is to each and every believer and each and every church: "Are you listening?" In context, it is especially appropriate in the letter to this church in light of the well-known verse 20:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. Rather than being this individual call to salvation, it really is corporate: "Is there anyone in there who will answer My knocking? Is anyone paying attention to what Christ has to say? Is anyone sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit?  Come, Join Me," Jesus says. "We have a lot to talk about."  Christ offers to us, together, fellowship and victory, but only as we include Him and learn to listen to Him. 

Learning to Listen #21

Jeremiah the Prophet heard from God a lot of things he did not want to hear, because then he had to give God's message of judgment to a people who would not listen.  Yet, Jeremiah obediently did what God instructed, and in effect speaks for all parties: God, His people, and himself. In Jeremiah 15 he says:

 15 O Lord, you know;
    remember me and visit me,
    and take vengeance for me on my persecutors.
In your forbearance take me not away;
    know that for your sake I bear reproach.
16 Your words were found, and I ate them,
    and your words became to me a joy
    and the delight of my heart,
for I am called by your name,
    O Lord, God of hosts.
17 I did not sit in the company of revelers,
    nor did I rejoice;
I sat alone, because your hand was upon me,
    for you had filled me with indignation.
18 Why is my pain unceasing,
    my wound incurable,
    refusing to be healed?
Will you be to me like a deceitful brook,
    like waters that fail?
19 Therefore thus says the Lord:
“If you return, I will restore you,
    and you shall stand before me.
If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless,
    you shall be as my mouth.
They shall turn to you,
    but you shall not turn to them.

Jeremiah sounds a lot like David here, crying out to God for deliverance from his people's persecutors, and mentioning how he himself was often all alone in seeking to please God. The people might be suffering, but he was doubly doing so. Notice again what he says in verse 16:

16 Your words were found, and I ate them,
    and your words became to me a joy
    and the delight of my heart,
for I am called by your name,
    O Lord, God of hosts.

God's words. What do we do with them? We read them; we listen to them; we even need to eat them. We talk about "eating our words", when we have to take back something we said because we were wrong; to eat God's Words means we come to realize how right He is, how Good He is, and how much He really does love us and want what is best for us. Learning to listen to Him makes all the difference in how we respond, even when we find ourselves in a situation that is unpleasant, uncomfortable, and even unfair. We remember that we are still His, in the right place, at the right time, and need to keep on doing the right thing. 

Learning to Listen #20

I

saiah 55 is like a great advertisement after Isaiah 53 describes the sacrificial death of the Lamb of God and chapter 54 describes the benefits of it:

“Come, everyone who thirsts,
    come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
    come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
    without money and without price. 
Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
    and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
    and delight yourselves in rich food.
3 Incline your ear, and come to me;
    hear, that your soul may live;
and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
    my steadfast, sure love for David.

God is calling out: "Come, receive from me what really satisfies, that which will never run out, Stop listening to all the false advertising of this world." The stuff of this world does not satisfy or fulfill. It is going to rust, rot, and run out. What God offers is everlasting. Notice the three verbs God uses in His plea: Listen, incline your ear, hear - every possible way to say that there are a lot of other voices trying pull you their way, to pull you astray. You need to decide who you are going to listen to - God, or false promises.

Learning to Listen #19

 

Psalm 62 is another Psalm of David Crying out to God. He begins:

For God alone my soul waits in silence;

    from him comes my salvation.

2 He alone is my rock and my salvation,

    my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.

He then goes on to ask those who plotted against him why, and for how long they would continue to do so. After an interlude, he repeats the opening verse, with a parallel thought:

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,

    for my hope is from him.

David again addresses himself: "Wait, listen for God to answer; trust in Him." He then goes on to exhort his people to also trust in God and pour their hearts out to Him.  Don't give in to those who plan or speak evil toward you, and especially don't become like them.  He then closes with this thought:

11 Once God has spoken;

    twice have I heard this:

that power belongs to God,

12 and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love.

Why does David take this personal stance of waiting and listening? Why does He encourage us to do the same? Because He has heard God speak before, and found God to be Who He claims to be: The God of Power and Love. Those characteristics belong to Him. They are defined by Him.  As you begin your day, and throughout your day, tell yourself: 

"For God alone my soul waits in silence; 

    from him comes my salvation...

 for my hope is from him.

Learning to LIsten #18

Psalm 143 is one of those Psalms of David where he is crying out for deliverance. He ended his first stanza with a description of his condition: my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. After letting that picture sink in after an interlude, he continues into the second stanza:

7 Answer me quickly, O Lord!
    My spirit fails!
Hide not your face from me,
    lest I be like those who go down to the pit.
8 Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,
    for in you I trust.
Make me know the way I should go,
    for to you I lift up my soul.

"Let me hear - I'm listening, Lord; I'm ready to trust what You have to say; I'm ready for You to be the boss and tell me where to go and what to do. Here's my heart and soul; You take control."  Then, a couple of verses later he says:

10 Teach me to do your will,

    for you are my God!

Let your good Spirit lead me

    on level ground!

Note the exclamation points.  David is ready to listen. He is teachable. He is open to the Spirit's leading. Are we?

Learning to Listen #17

Psalm 29 is a call to worship written by David:

1 Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,
    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
    worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.
3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
    the God of glory thunders,
    the Lord, over many waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;
    the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
    the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf,
    and Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
    the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth
    and strips the forests bare,
    and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”
10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
    the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
11 May the Lord give strength to his people!
    May the Lord bless his people with peace!

Having called us to worship the Lord, David describes this worship as a sight and sound event, with an emphasis on the sound side. The voice of the Lord is shouting, thundering, making all kinds of noise for us to hear. Can we hear Him now? Are we listening? Like Jeremiah, in his Lamentations, we might need to "keep silence before Him" in worship, so we can hear Him, but once we learn to listen, we will find ourselves crying out "Glory!", because we have heard Him loud and clear, and He is worthy of praise. 

Learning to Listen #16

Psalm 46:10 is one of those verses that we like to pluck out of context, which robs us of just what a blessing it is.  It is in the third and final stanza of the Psalm, which begins with the equally popular: 

God is our refuge and strength,

    a very present help in trouble.

The writers then go on to contrast the instability on earth, with its wars and natural disasters, like floods, versus the great stability to be found in the presence of God, and the peaceful river flowing through heaven. After a second Selah - interlude to meditate on those thoughts - they bring us to the final stanza in verse:

8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
    how he has brought desolations on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
    he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    he burns the chariots with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God.
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth!”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

"Be Still." Stop and listen and learn. In the midst of conflicts and controversies and confusion, seek His voice.  When the air is dead with silence after the battles, listen for His message.  When our hearts wonder what it's all about, look to Him, and find Him to be Who He always is: our faithful fortress, ready to speak and share truth we need.  

Learning to Listen #15

Jeremiah had the unenviable task of proclaiming bad news of Judgement. In chapter 26 we find one set of instructions he was given:

2 “Thus says the Lord: Stand in the court of the Lord's house, and speak to all the cities of Judah that come to worship in the house of the Lord all the words that I command you to speak to them; do not hold back a word. 3 It may be they will listen, and every one turn from his evil way, that I may relent of the disaster that I intend to do to them because of their evil deeds. 4 You shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord: If you will not listen to me, to walk in my law that I have set before you, 5 and to listen to the words of my servants the prophets whom I send to you urgently, though you have not listened, 6 then I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city a curse for all the nations of the earth.’”

God tells Jeremiah to get all the people together and tell them all the bad news. Why? 3 It may be they will listen, and every one turn from his evil way... There is always the possibility they will listen and turn from doing evil. One of our common sayings is "Why waste your breath?" What do we mean by that? That people have a tendency to not listen, to not change, to head on the wrong path. God sees things differently. He sees things we cannot see. He sees the heart. He sees the possibilities. Jeremiah listened to God and did as He said. Not many listened. But Jeremiah did the right thing: he listened to God and walked in His ways.  The important thing is not how well do people listen to you, but how well do you listen to God?

Learning to Listen #14

Psalm 81 begins with a call for God's people to sing out to Him, even shout to Him, playing instruments with passion and praise. The Psalmist reminds them that God had heard His people when they cried out to Him from Eqypt, and He delivered them. After a Selah, a time to reflect on that, he then says in verse

8 Hear, O my people, while I admonish you!
    O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
9 There shall be no strange god among you;
    you shall not bow down to a foreign god.
10 I am the Lord your God,
    who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
    Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
11 “But my people did not listen to my voice;
    Israel would not submit to me.
12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts,
    to follow their own counsels.
13 Oh, that my people would listen to me,
    that Israel would walk in my ways!
14 I would soon subdue their enemies
    and turn my hand against their foes.

God says: "If only you would listen to me, how different things would be."  He is the same God who delivered them from Egypt. He is the same God who fed them in the wilderness. He is the same God who led them into the promised land.  But they did not learn to listen, and they had consequences.  As the Apostle Paul said to the Corinthians, these things were written for our instruction. May we listen better. 

Learning to Listen #13

In Matthew 7:12 we have a statement by Jesus which has been popularly labeled: The Golden Rule:
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Straightforward enough, for sure: treat others the way you would like to be treated. But notice it begins with this little word "so", which is similar to the word "therefore". This verse is not some isolated proverb unrelated to everything around it. How does the chapter begin? Don't be judgmental; don't self-righteously jump to conclusions and condemn a person until you listen to their story.  Then, in the second paragraph, Jesus says: 7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. In other words, "pray", keep going to God and asking. Why? the end of the paragraph: 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! The incomparable character of God: He listens to what we say. He cares about what we need.  So, then you too: listen to what others say. Care about what they need. Do for them what you would want them and need them to do for you in that situation. Learn to listen and love. 

Learning to Listen #12

In Romans 10, Paul is talking about the response, or lack of response, of the people of Israel to the Gospel.  Many had not received Christ when God sent Him to them. Why not? Verse:

16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for
“Their voice has gone out to all the earth,
    and their words to the ends of the world.”

19 But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says,

“I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation;

    with a foolish nation I will make you angry.”

20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,

“I have been found by those who did not seek me;

    I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.”

21 But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.” 

God has been revealing Himself throughout history. He has been speaking through creation and through His Word. He has been seen and He has spoken. Man, including Israel, has had a resistant and rebellious spirit, refusing to hear God speak by whatever means.  They have not learned to listen to Him.  In Christ He has spoken and revealed Himself in the clearest, most observable form. In Him God provides not only the truth, but the faith to believe it, and the grace to follow it.  Will we listen, trust, and obey?

Learning to Listen #11

In our series on Learning to Listen, we've made a couple of stops in the book of Proverbs, and we will  be there a couple of times more, as it has much to say on the subject. Today we consider Proverbs 10:

17 Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life,
    but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.

In other words, learning to listen affects not only my life, my path, but all those who depend upon me for leadership. Initially you may think: "Phew! I'm glad I'm no leader." But you are. Everything, especially any adult has someone who is watching them, listening to them, learning something from them, even if that person is not in a formal position of leadership. This whole chapter says a lot about the impact one person can have with his or her life.  Consider verse 8: The wise of heart will receive commandments,     but a babbling fool will come to ruin. And if they come to ruin, they usually take someone else down too. Consider as well verse 19: When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent. Letting you tongue run wild is letting sin run wild, but learning to shut up and listen is the wise thing to do. And finally, verse 21:The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of sense. Our words, our actions, our learning to listen does not just affect ourselves; it brings either blessing or ruin to others as well.  There is no sin that does not hurt someone else. 

Learning to Listen #10

We have already intimated in our series on Learning to Listen that listening will affect the way we think and we act. Paul brings that out in this great passage in Philippians 2:

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Paul then goes on to describe how Christ has set the example in His incarnation, ministry, death, burial and resurrection. Whether we have learned to listen will be seen by whom and what we think about. If we are all listening to God and the needs of those around us, we will all be on the same page in how to serve Him, and we will be attentive to how we can serve one another. The mind of Christ will direct us; the power and passion of the Spirit will move us; the strength and purpose of God will empower us to do something much bigger and more meaningful than what makes me happy or what I think should be done. Look up, look around, look inside and listen. What do you hear? What do you see? What will you do?

Learning to Listen #9

Psalm 34 is a Psalm of David full of verses familiar to students of scripture. It was written by David when he was on the run, and had been delivered from house arrest by King Abimelech.  Listen to these familiar lines:

I will bless the Lord at all times...

    his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Oh, magnify the Lord with me,

    and let us exalt his name together!

4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me

    and delivered me from all my fears.

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!

    Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted

    and saves the crushed in spirit.

The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous

    and his ears toward their cry.

These well-known truths about God's character and worthiness to be praised and trusted surround this stanza in the center of the Psalm:

11 Come, O children, listen to me;

    I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

12 What man is there who desires life

    and loves many days, that he may see good?

13 Keep your tongue from evil

    and your lips from speaking deceit.

14 Turn away from evil and do good;

    seek peace and pursue it.

David says: "listen to what I've learned." If you want life to be good, it's not found in the palaces of the right and famous; if you want life to be fulfilling it's not found in what you have or can experience. It's a simple life lived before God.  Be Honest: speak the truth to yourself and others. And Be Holy: don't just avoid what you know is wrong; pursue what you know is good. How do you know the difference? Learn to listen to God, the One Who listens to you. 

Learning to Listen #8

Often, when we read Proverbs, we feel like it is made up of a long string of unrelated advice from one verse to another. At first, that can seem to be the case in Proverbs 18: 

12 Before destruction a man's heart is haughty,
    but humility comes before honor.
13 If one gives an answer before he hears,
    it is his folly and shame.
14 A man's spirit will endure sickness,
    but a crushed spirit who can bear?
15 An intelligent heart acquires knowledge,
    and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
16 A man's gift makes room for him
    and brings him before the great.
17 The one who states his case first seems right,
    until the other comes and examines him.

Do you notice a pattern here? Every other verse has to do with learning to listen. The first verse, verse 12, warns us to be humble, not haughty, while the second verse, verse 13, gives an illustration: the haughty speaks out, thinking he knows the answer before he knows the real question. Verse 14 talks about the fact that emotional sickness due to words wrongly spoken is worse than physical sickness, and could be avoided if we would listen and learn more, rather than thinking we always need to speak. The last pair of verses says: "you go first; I want to hear what you have to say." Always trying to speak over others, or have the first and last word, may sound good at first, but in the end only proves how unloving and unwise we really are.  Solomon is talk to us about a lifestyle of listening and learning - humbly, wisely, lovingly. 

Learning to Listen #7

Solomon was greatly concerned for the heart and soul of his sons. He had experienced a lot in life, and seen all the traps laid in the path to trip one up and lead one astray.  The best wisdom he could give was to point not to his own example, but to the instructions God gives in His Word. HE says in Proverbs 6:

20 My son, keep your father's commandment,
    and forsake not your mother's teaching.
21 Bind them on your heart always;
    tie them around your neck.
22 When you walk, they will lead you;
    when you lie down, they will watch over you;
    and when you awake, they will talk with you.

Simply put: make God's instructions your constant companion.  They are not just for past generations; they are not just theories or suggestions: they are truth for daily life.  Notice how he pictures God's ways as human attendants. When we incorporate God's principles into daily life, wearing them like a life-line chain around our necks, then they will take our hand and lead us down the right path; they will stand guard over us while we sleep(in other words, we won't have to worry about what we have done that day), and when we get up on the morning they will be there to talk with us, to answer questions, and give guidance for the new day.  Solomon is saying the same thing we've seen the past few days: learn to listen to God's word; train your heart and mind to live by it; let it be "alive and powerful" in your life.

Learning to Listen #6

The book of James is often looked to for how practical it is about faith. Near the end of the first chapter he says:

19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

Learn to Listen, not lash back. Do not respond with revenge, but righteousness.  Therefore... meaning the next statement connects: get rid of sinful actions and the motives behind them, replacing them with actions becoming truth from God's Word.  We learn to listen to others, and respond appropriately, as we learn to listen to God, receiving what he instructs, and the reasoning behind it. Often we separate what comes next into its own little category, but it is also connected: But... be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Listening is far more than physically hearing. Anyone can hear God's Word online, at church, or in a multitude of settings in our day, but true listening is like looking intently into the mirror at our thoughts, our motives and actions in light of what God says. When we have learned to listen, we begin to change, and if we've ceased to change, we've stopped listening, and need to learn to listen all over again. Let's not be like the self-righteous rich young leader who said: "all these things I have done since my youth." Let's be those who are learning to listen, looking at ourselves through the lens of God's Word, then living it out, over and over again.

Learning to Listen #5

In II Timothy 3, Paul is telling Tim to beware who he listens to, because there are a lot of false, deceiving, evil voices out there which lead people to this condition:  always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. Paul then offers a contrast, a different path in verse:
14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Paul had already described how Timothy grew up listening to his mother and grandmother, both women of faith, and that more recently, he has been following Paul's life and teaching as a follower of Christ. What both examples have demonstrated are a dependence upon the scriptures. Learn to listen to the truth, found in the scriptures, and demonstrated by godly people.  And when the two disagree, remember that we as people fail, but the scriptures are foundational, more dependable and authoritative: they come from God. Go to the scriptures as the handbook on life the way God intends it to be. Go to the scriptures to find out what you're doing wrong and how to make it right. God to the scriptures for often needed relationship advice, and you'll be ready for life. Learn to listen to God's people as they share with you God's Word. 

Learning to Listen #4

In Matthew 18, Jesus is talking to His disciples about how we are to live in relationship with other believers. We are not to seek to be top dog, but humble - almost childlike in dependence. We are to seriously consider if our sinful actions are negatively impacting those around us, and have a heart like He does - not wishing that any would perish, and remain lost. Then, in the middle of the chapter He says:

15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 

Do what is good for your brother or sister: if they are going around sinning, lovingly confront them; give them the opportunity to repent and be changed. This is not for your sake, as much as it is for theirs. They need to learn to listen: to people they are hurting, to the Holy Spirit, and to the church. This will not only restore them to proper fellowship with us, but also with God, so that we can pray together and have Him listen to us.  What does it mean when we refuse to listen? We have become arrogant, uncaring, and believe we have done nothing for which we need forgiveness.  So, lest any of us come to think that way, Jesus closes the chapter with the parable of the unforgiving servant. This call to confront a sinning brother is not to become a free-for-all, where we throw accusations at one another, because "you hurt me", but is actually  a way to reinforce the truth that we are all sinners needing forgiveness, humiliy and lessons in learning to listen to one another, and especially God. 

Learning to Listen #3

In Acts 13, we find a summary of Paul's first sermon in the Synagogue at Antioch:

16 So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said:
“Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. 17 The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. 18 And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. 19 And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. 21 Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22 And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ 23 Of this man's offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. 24 Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’
26 “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation.

From here Paul goes on to describe the more recent events surrounding the crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. What Paul was doing was saying: "Learn from history; listen to what God has been saying both in word and action, and that will point you to His salvation; that will direct you toward Jesus." Paul traces events from Moses, through the judges, to David and his descendants, until the contemporary headlines of John the Baptist and Jesus to say: God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. Learn to Listen; make sure you don't miss what history is saying; respond to its message and trust in Him.

Learning to Listen #2

The Bible is filled with awesome encounters people have had with God. One of the greatest is found in Matthew 17.
And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” 

We refer to this event as the Transfiguration, when these three disciples were given a glimpse of the glory of Christ before their very eyes, and, as a bonus, two of the greatest figures in Old Testament History - Moses and Elijah. They literally could not believe their eyes.  Peter wanted to do more than capture the moment - he had no cell phone to take a picture or video, so he wanted to build there tabernacles - one for each, for them to stay there, so they could continue the experience. Seeing is believing, or so we are told. But Peter still had not seen the climax of the event: the lights turned up and the volume came on with the grand announcement: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” What good does it do to see this great stuff, if you're not going to listen? Think about these two characters - Moses and Elijah - they had seen the burning bush and fire from heaven - why? So they, and the people of God would pay attention and listen.  No sign from heaven or other visual experience will make any difference in our life or response to God unless we learn to listen. Can you hear Him now? 

Learning to Listen #1

Proverbs 1: 

The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:
2 To know wisdom and instruction,
    to understand words of insight,
3 to receive instruction in wise dealing,
    in righteousness, justice, and equity;
4 to give prudence to the simple,
    knowledge and discretion to the youth—
5 Let the wise hear and increase in learning,
    and the one who understands obtain guidance,
6 to understand a proverb and a saying,
    the words of the wise and their riddles.
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
    fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Life is filled with mis-made plans, stupid mistakes, and downright sins. Most could be avoided if we would learn one thing: how to listen.  As Solomon, one of the wisest men to walk the earth shares from his life of failures, he tells us how to think things through, make good decisions, deal with people, and not develop bad patterns of thinking, speaking, and behavior. Verse 5 is key: Let the wise hear.  Solomon was writing a best seller book, but he knew that many would not listen, only half listen, or physically hear what he had to say, but go on ignoring - or even despising - the truths God would reveal to and through him. The sooner we learn that we do not know it all, and that we need to learn to listen to God and those who speak for Him, the sooner we will avoid foolish thinking, words and actions.  We can easily look around us and see how those around us need wisdom. Can we see it in ourselves?