Jump Start # 1374

Luke 8:18 “So take care how you listen; for whoever has, to him more shall be give; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him.”

  One of the things we notice when reading the Gospels, is that Jesus didn’t hold back. He was bold. He was speaking eternal truths that were meant to cut to the heart and change lives. Our passage today is just one of several that could be used to prove this. Many today would not like how our verse ends. It is definitely not in vogue with the thinking of modern times. Taking away from some just doesn’t seem nice. Everyone must share and everyone must have. We must be nice in the neighborhood, Mr. Rogers taught a generation. In fact, modern thinking has so shaped the landscape of our minds that we tend to accept the notion that there are no losers. No one fails. No one comes in last. Everyone gets a ribbon. Everyone receives a party. This nice and fair society is thought to help the self esteem of children. It builds them up by hiding them from the realities of life. In sports, one team wins and the other loses. Pets die. Parents lose their jobs. Friends move away.

Jesus didn’t march to that tune. His lessons included the consequences of failing. The five foolish virgins pounded on the door of the wedding feast, wanting to be admitted. They were late, too late. The door was shut and it wasn’t going to be opened for them. The one talent man didn’t do what he should have and he was cast out and what he had was taken away from him. Jesus pulls the curtain back and allows us to see the harsh reality of failing God. The consequences are painful and eternal. These images were intended to turn stubborn hearts toward God. The Lord expects us to obey Him. Obedience isn’t something that many like to talk about these days.

There is another wonderful thought that comes from the front end of our verse today. It says, “So take care how you listen.” Earlier in this chapter, as Jesus told the parable of the sower, he ends that section with “He who has ears, let him hear.” That same expression is repeated seven times, to each of the seven churches, in Revelation 2-3. Take care how you listen.

Our listening ears have two valuable lessons that we must learn.

First, we must be careful what we listen to. This is a common discussion in homes, especially with teens. What shows are you watching? What music are you listening to? Some folks spend their life listening to the wrong stuff. We listen to  the advice from people at work, who may not have Heaven as an agenda. Their words may take us down the wrong path. Religious books, if not carefully investigated, may offer advice that does the same things. Be careful what you are listing to. Listen to the right things.

Secondly and just as important, we must be careful How we listen. This is what our verse says, How you listen. A person can listen to the right stuff, but still miss it because he was not careful in how he listened. He may listen just to hear what he wants to hear and the rest is tuned out. He may listen with a critical ear for the intention of trying to find an excuse for not doing what he ought to.

Be careful how you listen. This is very true when it comes to listening to God’s word. This may take place while we are reading the Bible at home or sitting in a church building, or, hearing someone else read it. Be careful how you listen. It is helpful to read the Bible slowly. Speed reading works when going through the newspaper, a magazine, emails, and other things. But when it comes to the Bible, take your foot off the accelerator and slow down. Notice words. Notice the order of words. Notice questions. Notice the answer to those questions. Notice why things are said the way they are. Chew on some of those thoughts. Meditate upon those words. Let them simmer a bit in your mind and heart.

It helps now and then to read the Bible out loud or to listen to the Bible being read. You pick up on things, when listening, that you may not when reading quietly to yourself. The first Christians did not have Bibles in their laps during worship. They had to hear. Revelation gives a blessing to both the one who reads and the one who hears. Take care how you listen.

Sometimes we hear a portion of things and think we know the rest, but we may not. How many times have I heard someone say, “It’s in the Bible somewhere,” but it really isn’t. They thought it was. They had heard something like it before. They couldn’t remember what it was exactly, nor where it was found exactly, so they proudly pronounce, “It’s in the Bible somewhere. “ Take care in how you listen.

Now listening does leads us to change. We do that all the time. In the middle of the night, you are awakened by a noise. Most don’t just roll over. We poke the bravest and send that person to go check it out. The sound of sirens draws our attention and leads to us pulling our car over to the side, so the emergency personal can go around us. The sound of the alarm clock tells us it’s time to get up. The sound of a baby crying sends a mother into warp speed. The sound of our National Anthem causes us to stand with pride and put our hands over our hearts.

I have three grown boys. Two of them are excellent song leaders. The youngest leads at Ferrari speed. They’re both really good. The middle one preaches. He’s my favorite preacher. I could just listen to him all day long. Sounds. Listening.

The Bible is full of sounds. The sound of God’s love toward us. The sound of coming judgment. The sound of nails being hammered into the hands of the Son of God. The sound of God saying, “Well, done.”

Take heed how you listen.

Roger