Jesus takes three of his best friends on a weary mountain journey. Peter, James and John are panting, chests heaving, legs bursting apart under their tunics, the latest fashion fad of the day. They soon forget their own sufferings when suddenly their friend Jesus starts glowing like a candle. The fact that Jesus was speaking to two ghosts didn't much help with their own stubborn fear and well-deserved amazement. Heaven's PA system throws them to the ground as the Creator bellows, "Jesus is my Son, marked by my love, focus of my delight. Listen to him."
It's easy to hear Jesus. Open your Bible and you can hear him day or night, you can peek into the stories of his life, the conversations he had, the great words he preached here and there during his ministry. But it is so easy to not really listen. Jesus is constantly saying, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." Another translation reads Jesus crying out to the people, "Are you listening? Really listening?"
Listening is different from hearing. I hear my mom all the time. I hear her tell me to clean the dishes, to take Doogie outside, to clean the shower mirror and wash my clothes. But not always do I listen. Listening has a trademark that sets it off from run-of-the-mill hearing. That trademark is obedience. Mom's plaintive requests have become hollers and yells and that makes me skip. Then I listen. God is saying, "Listen to my Son. Don't just hear what he says, don't just observe what he does. Really listen - hear, see, and do." Don't just hear - hear or see - and DO.
Obedience may be an acquired taste, but so is coffee - and Starbucks is very good.
It's easy to hear Jesus. Open your Bible and you can hear him day or night, you can peek into the stories of his life, the conversations he had, the great words he preached here and there during his ministry. But it is so easy to not really listen. Jesus is constantly saying, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." Another translation reads Jesus crying out to the people, "Are you listening? Really listening?"
Listening is different from hearing. I hear my mom all the time. I hear her tell me to clean the dishes, to take Doogie outside, to clean the shower mirror and wash my clothes. But not always do I listen. Listening has a trademark that sets it off from run-of-the-mill hearing. That trademark is obedience. Mom's plaintive requests have become hollers and yells and that makes me skip. Then I listen. God is saying, "Listen to my Son. Don't just hear what he says, don't just observe what he does. Really listen - hear, see, and do." Don't just hear - hear or see - and DO.
Obedience may be an acquired taste, but so is coffee - and Starbucks is very good.
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