Mark 4:23-24 – If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. And he said unto them, Take heed what you hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. (KJV)

"You aren't listening," said my hubby.

"Yes, I am," I responded, though my nose was very definitely stuck in a book.

"No, you aren't," he repeated, "because if you were you wouldn't have just agreed to walk barefoot in mud with me tonight in the Sahara Desert!"

I was "caught out".

John 18:10a – Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his right ear. (NIV)

Just like Simon Peter's victim, my ear was present but it wasn't really hearing. I began to think about the many other times in my life when this was true: becoming too "busy" to keep an afternoon-at-the-park promise to little ones; listening to the pastor's sermon with another person's disobedience in mind; reading a Scripture and knowing that I must act on it, yet postponing or ignoring that fact.

Yes, real listening demands action.

With God's help, we can change. Let's start by really listening, but more importantly, taking action on what we have heard.

Prayer: O God, thank You for really hearing when we call. Help us to actually listen when folks speak to us. But even more, Lord, help us to listen and obey when Your voice is in our ear. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

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About the author:

Brenda Wood <brenda.w@nextcom.ca>
Sandycove Acres, Innisfil, Ontario, Canada
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