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Listen while you read: "Hast Thou Not Known"1
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Mark 12:28b-31 – "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this. "Love your neighbour as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." (NIV)
A favourite lament of a high school teacher of mine was, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. I can teach you all knowledge, but I can't make you think."
As a daydreamer, I understand exactly what she was attempting to tell us. I knew how to "turn her off" in algebra class. There were many things I'd rather be thinking about than the dull figures that she was discussing. It was only when test time came that I understood what I'd missed by not listening to her.
Teachers today compete with more than daydreamers. There are the cell phone, iPod®, television, and Wii®, among other things that distract from what is being taught.
Matthew 13:13 – This is why I speak to them in parables: "Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand." (NIV)
In other words, Jesus was saying, "Focus on the teacher. Listen, then absorb it into your hearts."
Hearing and listening are two important concepts in learning. Hearing is the first phase of learning. We can hear the sound that is being made, but until we focus on what the sound means, we have not absorbed it into our mind. Listening, on the other hand, is paying thoughtful attention. Thinking comes about when the human brain is receptive to what it is hearing. The last phase is learning, which takes place when, through hearing, listening, and absorbing what we hear, we apply what we have heard.
Prayer: Lord, teach us how to listen and absorb Your Word into our hearts, and apply it in our lives. Teach us to truly love our neighbour. In Your holy name, we pray. Amen.
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About the author:
Ivie BozemanThomasville, Georgia, USA