“Pardon me? What was that you said? I didn't hear you very well; I'm having a problem with my ears today…”
Proverbs 15:31 (KJV)
The ear that heareth the reproof of life abideth among the wise.
Though many of us have eyes and ears, only a small crowd actually hears the reproof of life, and the credit for both belongs not to men, but to the Lord...
Proverbs 20:12 (KJV)
The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the Lord hath made even both of them.
I don't know if you realized this or not, but there are two kinds of ears - obedient ears and disobedient ears. Those that hear and those that won't! What kind of ears do you have today, dear lady? The Bible says in Mt. 11:15, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." If you would, take a walk over to the nearest mirror at your house and check and see if there are two ears attached to your head while I wait right here…
I see you're back - did you find them? Then if it's true you DO have ears - you better be a ready listener to what God has to say! Are you employing your ears for the Lord? The Bible says in James 1:19, "let EVERY man be swift to hear..." for in so doing, those hearing ears place their owner among the circle of the wise! Is that where you are finding yourself lately -among the wise? If not, perhaps you need to get some Q-tips and clean out the build-up that is causing your ears to disregard reproof so you can hear again the way that points to life!
Luke 8:15 (KJV)
But on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, HAVING
HEARD THE WORD, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience...
You see ladies, when a person hears and understands the Word of God, then the seed of truth is planted in the heart! That's what makes our hearts honest and good as the verse above mentioned. "Hearing" means listening with spiritual understanding and receptivity. What takes place after that seed is planted though, depends on the nature of the soil... Obedient ears cultivate good soil conditions in preparation for the Word of God to be sown, for it is soil ready for planting! Soil prepared for planting brings forth fruit, yielding a harvest of crop...
Mt. 13:23 (KJV)
But he that received seed into the good ground is he that HEARETH THE
WORD, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth,
some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
So dear lady, has your heart kept the Word of God? Are you bearing any spiritual fruit in your life? If not, maybe you weren't ready to hear to begin with... By the way, keeping the Word is more than just highlighting certain verses in our Bibles, or listening to great sermons one after the other, it is DOING what we hear! Don't just be an audience to God's Word, be a practicer of truth! When you hear the Word of God, are you listening with the intent of doing? That is an obedient ear.... If you have no intention of doing anything with what you are hearing, that is a disobedient ear. Spiritual deafness is worse than physical deafness, for even the physically deaf can hear from God! If we don't hear Him speaking, how could we ever answer, "Yes, Lord"? Hence, a spiritually deaf ear produces a dull heart - a heart hard of hearing!
Proverbs 8:34 (KJV)
Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting
at the posts of my doors.
What a perfect description of an individual with an obedient ear! This sounds like a person who doesn't want to miss a thing! Watching daily and waiting… Ladies that should be our attitude when it comes to the Word of God! Have you ever pressed your ear against a wall or door in order to make out conversation being held on the other side? If we would go to such extremes to be nosy, why not go to such extremes to hear conversation from heaven!! When listening with an attitude of great expectancy, who wouldn't grasp everything the Lord had to say?
Luke 8:40 (KJV)
And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly
received him: for they were all waiting for him.
Hmm… I wonder if this is the case with God's people today? How many of us are really gladly receiving the Lord Jesus Christ? If our ears are, in fact, ready to hear, we will also be ready for the soon return of Christ and we'll catch sound of that blessed trumpet call! Isn't it frustrating when you are talking to someone and you know very well they are not hearing you? You could stop in the middle of your sentence and they wouldn't even notice! I wonder if that is how the Lord feels about us at times? As He is speaking to us through His Word, we cut Him off mid-sentence and stop listening for a host of reasons. Our ears become dull of hearing and we are too lazy to apply ourselves and pay attention to the truth. Or, maybe our ears start "itching" and we would rather be entertained than convicted...
2 Tim. 4:3-4 (KJV)
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after
their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching
ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be
turned unto fables.
As we close for today, consider what happens to your ears while under the preaching of the Word of God… Has it been a long time since you've heard anything from the Lord? If you woke up this morning and couldn't physically hear a thing, you'd panic and do something about it right away, amen? But what do you do when you've become spiritually deaf - does that bother you at all?? In what direction are your ears tilted today – toward truth or fables?? Honestly now, how ready are you for the Lord to return, dear lady? Will He find you abiding among the wise? I daresay your ears have much to do with the answer to that question! Give them a thorough check today, won't you? Be absolutely certain there is nothing preventing you from hearing the reproof of life!
Proverbs 23:12 (KJV)
Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2000 Pamela A. Iannello
Revised 2004
