“Let he who has ears to hear, use them”
Jesus used this phrase eight times in the Gospels and eight times in
Revelation. Look at James 1:22-24 – 22 Do not merely listen
to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone
who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks
at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away
and immediately forgets what he looks like. Don’t just listen but obey!
Look at the parable of the seed and the Sower
found Luke 8:1-8 1 After this,
Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good
news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, 2 and also
some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called
Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; 3 Joanna the wife of
Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women
were helping to support them out of their own means. 4 While a
large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town,
he told this parable: 5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he
was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the
birds ate it up. 6 Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up,
the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell
among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8 Still
other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times
more than was sown.”
In all four cases the seed, the Sower, and the
message are the same.
What’s different? – It’s
the listener!
Listen
and obey God’s Word – be changed this Easter season. Amen?