DAY Forty-Two: Worthy of Consideration
“24 “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more.” – (Mark 4:24)
My mother routinely said to me, “Be careful!” It didn’t matter whether I was making myself a sandwich that needed a fresh tomato or if I was about to leave for a long road trip. Her parting words always charged me to carefully consider what I was doing to protect me from any unnecessary or even fatal error. In the above verse, Jesus is doing the same. However, the charge seems somewhat excessive and unneeded for the natural context we read.
He is telling His disciples to be careful in how they listen. You read that right, “LISTEN.” Be “careful” because the amount of focus and attention you give to what you teach your ears to listen to will determine what your ears will be trained to hear. So, if I cannot hear the voice of God, it is probable that I have not prepared my ears properly. Much like an athlete who has trained to endure strenuous competition while performing at an efficient high level, so we are commanded to do the same … but with our ability to hear.
And, when we have trained our ears, we will hear more than we ever thought possible. Have you ever wondered how some people hear the voice of God so frequently and easily? Your thinking to yourself, “Why is God speaking to them, and yet I’m sitting over here hearing nothing?” Our natural bent is to think that God isn’t speaking to us when all the while we have not learned how to listen.
The reward is hearing more, hearing what others don’t, and hearing what is essential to life. Today, begin a new fitness regime that includes 30-minutes of solitude before God. You’ll be surprised and refreshed by what you HEAR!
Blessings,
Andy Smith