Do You Have An Ear To Hear?

 

Someone has said that the society which scorns excellence in plumbing because plumbing is a humble activity and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because it is an exalted activity, will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy. The idea here is that neither the pipes nor the theories will hold water. Humility is not as popular with people as it used to be. The post-modern era is marked with people who are pushing their way to the top. Folks want recognition, fame, and money. They want to be petted, placated, and appreciated. So, it seems as though few people like the humble roles in life. 

Jesus told His disciples the humble servant was really the greatest among them (Matthew 20:27; 23:11). We have heard, pride goes before a fall. Proverbs 18:12 reads, “Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, And before honor is humility.” We have also read that, “…God resists the proud. But gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6; Proverbs 3:34). We should understand that humility is an important part of success. Humility does not need a pat on the back. Humility does not need its name to be called. Humility knows that in doing something that is right, the very doing of it is enough. Humility carries on even when nobody else knows or cares. 

George Washington Carver, the scientist who developed hundreds of useful products from the peanut, once noted (tongue in cheek): “When I was young, I said to God, ‘God, tell me the mystery of the universe.’ But God answered, ‘That knowledge is reserved for Me alone.’ So, I said, ‘God, tell me the mystery of the peanut.’ Then God said, ‘Well, George, that’s more your size.’ And He told me.” There are many things we will never know in this life. There are many things we will never be in this life. But being created in the image of God and having the grace of God in our life is sufficient for us (2 Corinthians 12:9).

[Hebrews 1:1-2] God has spoken but is not always heard. Apparently, some people are missing an ear or two. “He who has ears, let him hear,” or some similar saying appears frequently in Scripture. The prophet Ezekiel may have introduced us to that phrase (Ezekiel 3:27), however, it was Jesus who polarized it. Jesus liked to apply that phrase to teaching he did by parables (Matthew 13:9, 43). He used it regarding the understanding of prophesy (Matthew 11:14-15). He spoke that phrase to each of the seven churches of Asia in His short sermons to them (Revelation 2-3). Jesus could reattach the missing ear of the soldier who lost his ear to a swing of a sword when he came to arrest Jesus (Luke 22:50-51). However, not all missing ears have been physically cut off. * An ear can be missing because of distraction. If a radio is playing and I have a book in my hand, I can listen to the radio or read the book – but not both, and vise-versa. The words on a book can be scanned but not comprehended if one’s attention is on the radio. When it comes to hearing Jesus, many people are missing ears in that He never gets their full attention. We must tune out distracting noises to hear Jesus. * An ear can be missing because of decision. It is said that a spouse or children only hear what they want to hear. We all develop selective hearing over the years. “Supper is ready!” is more easily heard than, “Take out the trash.” Many people are missing an ear because they have simply decided to not listen. * An ear can be missing because of distance. Jesus came all the way from Heaven to Earth so that He could be more easily heard. He bridged the distance between yourself and the Word of God. Many people are missing an ear that they have withdrawn into themselves, widening the gap, and making the message of salvation so faint it cannot be heard. God has spoken. Humble yourself and lend an ear to God’s message of love and saving grace.

To Die Can Be Gain

 

Since it opened in 1937, more than 2,000 people have jumped off of the Golden Gate Bridge in an attempt to commit suicide. The jumps have become so commonplace that authorities have placed signs on the bridge that read: “THE CONSEQUENCES OF JUMPING FROM THIS BRIDGE ARE FATAL AND TRAGIC.” They have even included a phone number that one could call for immediate counseling. They are desperate to get people to reconsider their decision to jump! Of all the people who have jumped from the bridge over the years, less than 1% have survived. Additionally, we are told that all of the survivors share a common trait: as soon as they went over the rail, they immediately regretted their decision. One man said that as soon as his hands left the railing, he knew he had made a terrible mistake. He did not want to die. This is a hard reminder of the way sin works. Sin leads to regret. If you are tempted to do something, you know you should not do…stop! There are alternatives! The sin you are about to commit will surely lead to regret (Proverbs 14:12; 2 Corinthians 7:10). The Lord wants us to reconsider our decision to jump. “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). If you have done things that you regret, come back to the Father’s House! He longs to embrace penitent children! “…And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him” (Luke 15:11-24). We don’t have to live with regret. We don’t have to jump! There is a way of escape.

[Philippians 1:12-30] A million things could have been going through Paul the apostle’s mind as he sat in his prison cell around A.D. 61. But as he penned a letter to some faithful brethren in Philippi, he had hardly finished his greeting when he wrote: For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain (v.21). One might ask, “How does one become fully devoted to God as Paul was, even in the face of such adversity?” Let’s look at some aspects of Paul’s life that might help us better understand why he clung to the cross of Christ with such zeal. Paul was poor in spirit, realizing how lost he had been without Christ. He wrote: “…Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief” (1 Timothy 1:15). He didn’t think more of himself than he should have but gave the Lord all the credit for any good that was in him or was done by him. Though he realized where he lacked, he didn’t let shortcomings or past mistakes hinder him from doing what he could for God. Paul endeavored to forget the past and press on towards the eternal goal of heaven (Philippians 3:12-14). Paul did not place too much importance on the things on earth. Paul wrote, “If then you have been raised with Christ (baptized into Christ; Romans 6:1-11) seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:1-3). 

Does Christ live in you? One cannot say, “For me to live is money, and to die is gain” * “For me to live is ambition, and to die is gain” * “For me to live is pleasure, and to die is gain” because death for these people is loss. Can you say that if you live on in the flesh, you are living for Christ? Death will only be gain (rewarded) for those who live for Christ. Are you assured that if you died this very day you will go to be with the Lord forever? Paul knew what his horrible fate would have been without Jesus …the same fate you and I face. There is a way of escape from hell. Don’t die with regret. Jesus saves!

Ta-Dah!

 

A preacher was telling the story of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ to a group of children. He asked, “What did Jesus say when he came forth from the grave?” He was trying to make the point that He didn’t need to say anything; that His wondrous miracle said more than words could ever say. A young lady however insisted that she knew what Jesus said. The preacher finally asked her to tell him what Jesus said. She smiled widely and said in a loud voice, “Ta-Dah!” Now I don’t know what Jesus said, if anything at all, but from a human standpoint I can only imagine the excitement of just defying death, and perhaps Jesus doing something like that, (in part because Jesus still possessed some of his human experience as well as a great sense of humor). Who knows?

[Romans 6:1-11] We have just passed that time of the year when we witness most of the religious world celebrating “Easter”. It might surprise most people to know that the church of the Bible doesn’t do that. I know that might be hard for some to imagine that folks claiming to be Christians and yet not celebrating this traditionally special day. But for the church of the Bible, it is no different than any other Sunday. You see, the Bible tells us to come together as believers the first day of the week to worship God. The early church did just that. Paul had to reiterate what Jesus had said at the “Last Supper” in his first letter to the Corinthians that they were to remember His death, burial, and resurrection through the partaking of “The Lord’s Supper” or “Communion” whenever they met that way (1 Corinthians 11:23-26; [Matthew 26:26-29]). The early church is seen coming together on the first day of every week to “break bread” or to partake of the Lord’s supper (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:23-30). In other words, the church of the Bible doesn’t need a special Sunday to celebrate the resurrection of the “Savior of the World”. Biblical churches celebrate each and every “First Day of the Week” – every “Sunday”. I know that some may ask the question, “Won’t doing that make it something that is no longer special?” My answer is no, not at all, because it is a continual reminder of the sacrifice of Christ on our behalf. Jesus’ sacrifice was His willingness to pay our debt for sin, which is death (Romans 6:23), through the sheading of His blood redeeming all who believe and are baptized to God the Father (Revelation 5:9). The apostle Paul wrote: For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes (1 Corinthians 11:26). Not only His death, but His resurrection, because that is part of what the Gospel is all about (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). I don’t know about you, but I personally need the reassurance of the hope I have because of “The Great Ta-Dah” every week is a remarkable thing and a great comfort to me. I pray you don’t think me irreverent about the resurrection of our Lord. Really, I’m excited that one day I will share in that resurrection, whether I see Jesus coming in the sky or I raise from the grave – what a rush that will be! My prayer is that you will see past the “pomp and circumstance” that so many heap upon this one special day of the year and understand that it is something you can participate in on every Sunday with the same sense of awe (Romans 5:6-11).

In Eden, after man’s fall, God asked Adam, “Where are you?” And Adam said, “I was afraid… and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:9-10). Having sinned, disobeyed his Creator, Adam hid among the trees. It is impossible to hide from God. Adam found that out, so did Jonah. Many think they can hide out from God and cover their sins. Hiding out doesn’t change a thing – God knows. We need to come to God in repentance and enjoy His forgiveness through Christ. For in the time of trouble, He shall hide me… (Psalm 27:5).

Boldly Crossing The Line

 

We live in a world vastly different from what our ancestor’s experienced. Medicine, science, transportation, communication, education, business, etc., even empathy and morality, all have changed dramatically over the past 100 years, yes, even in my lifetime. It seems that mankind throughout the world is constantly pushing the line between right and wrong by changing the meaning of what that is. In 1973 all regards of life in the womb were thrown out the window with the Supreme Court Decision, Roe v. Wade, resulting in an average of 1,000,000 fetal abortions per year, every year since. Little Ana Rosa Rodriguez was born into a world gone mad. In 1991, her mother, then 7.5 months pregnant, decided to have an abortion. Dr. Abu Hayat, a reputed New York abortionist, agreed to perform the abortion. However, Dr. Hayat failed. A few days late, Ana was born missing her right arm. It had been severed during the botched abortion. The doctor was then dubbed “The Butcher” by reporters and the state convicted him on assault charges. Dr. Hayat would have been heralded, along with hundreds of other abortion doctors, as a champion of a “woman’s right to choose.” A line has been clearly drawn in the sand by the courts daring you and I to cross it with outrage over their decision.

Two brothers shared a room growing up. This arrangement was often met with some resistance. On one occasion they decided to divide the room in half, each claiming half the room. One chose the side with the most toys, and the other took the side nearest the door of the room. They agreed neither one was to cross the dividing line. The agreement worked well until suppertime. The one brother laughed as he exited the room. The other stood there for a moment contemplating the situation. He was hungry; thus, he crossed the line of demarcation so as to enjoy the blessings of a home-cooked meal. Needless to say, the brothers never divided their room again.

[James 1:12-15] God draws lines, and He often uses water as a sort of dividing line between sin-bondage and salvation-freedom. Noah’s flood was a dividing line separating the old world from the new (Genesis 6:12, 13, 17). The Jordon River stood as a line of demarcation between Namaan’s leprosy and a Divine cure (2 Kings 5:1-15). The Pool of Siloam stood between the blind man and the reception of his sight (John 9:1-7). The Red Sea served as a dividing line between Israel’s slavery and her salvation (Exodus 14:13-31). Any failure on the part of each of the above listed people to cross that line of demarcation would have demonstrated a lack of faith and would have resulted in no salvation. So it is with water baptism. Just as the employment of water was used as a test of faith and a means of salvation in the before-mentioned passages of Scripture, so too is its purpose today. Baptism stands between the sinner and one’s freedom. If the sinner is not baptized for the remission of sins, one can never be saved (Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:38). 

Do you want to be saved and enjoy the blessings found only in Christ? Or will you allow the world to tear away at your God-given ideals of wanting His love in your life (Romans 2:12-16). Are you hungry enough to cross the line of doubt? Then cross that dividing line and free yourself from the bondage of sin. As Saul witnesses to his religious conversion from Jewish Law to following Christ, he speaks of a man named Ananias who spoke to him about Jesus and His sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. He told Saul of being chosen to be a witness to all men on behalf of the Savior as to what he had seen and heard. Then Ananias said: And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord. (Acts 22:16). Have you crossed the line to be saved?

Live Life Abundantly

 

We are becoming so judgmental of the world just by what we see at the moment, and never really take the time to listen to truth, most of us just scurry off with a self-perceived conclusion of just about any given situation. When I look at a cluster of dandelions, I see a bunch of weeds that are going to take over my yard. Most children see flowers for the elderly neighbor lady or little white balloons that float in the wind as you blow on them. When I feel the wind on my face, I brace myself against it. I think of the chilly weather to come. Children close their eyes, spread their arms and fly with it, until they fall to the ground laughing. When I pray, I’m serious, I use formal words. I ask for personal healing, assistance, or forgiveness. Children pray, “Hi God! Thanks for my toys and my friends. Please keep the bad dreams away tonight.” When I approach a mud puddle, I step around it. All I can see are muddy shoes and floors that need cleaning. Children embrace them. All they can see is dams to be built, rivers to cross and worms to play with. When I look at a homeless soul and they smile at me, I see a smelly, dirty person who probably wants money and I look away. Children see someone smiling at them and smile back. I sometimes wonder if were given children to teach …or to learn from?

You may remember this television commercial from years back advertising a stain removal product. The scene depicts a man interviewing for a job. The man doing the interview questioning cannot hear the answers that the prospect offers because a stain on his shirt is loudly shouting and mocking the man who obviously wants this job. The point is, the stain is so distracting, the person with the stain cannot reach his potential. If only he had applied this stain removal product to his shirt stain before entering the interview!

[1 Peter 5:5-6] We may have similar feelings about our sin stains. Just by their presence we may feel corrupted and constantly held down to our most carnal self. We may feel that when others look at us, the stain is all they can see. Our sin defines us. So, hear this promise from the Lord: “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson’ they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18).

Man’s obligation to God is simple – listen to Him. A speaking God demands listening ears. Man is to be open, honest, humble, and obedient. “So then, my brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:19-20). Prayer is talking to God. We know that. But prayer is also listening to God. We usually forget that. Don’t pray and run off. Fallen man needs to listen to God more than he talks to God. Listening, however, is far more than just listening. God saves us by our ears, not our eyes. Our eyes are always “on.” One has to turn the ears on and keep them on. We are under the authority of God, and we follow His Word, the Bible. We are to live holy lives. We are not existing to pass a religious test. We were created to live an abundant life; “…I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). To listen involves the entire self. We have listening ears, minds, hearts, and lives. The Bible constantly warns: ‘But they would not listen.’ What God’s Word teaches us, do it! This is obedience. What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about our life. The “Big Sin” today is to offend someone without even knowing how we did it. How angry we get. Why doesn’t anyone warn us about offending God? Man cannot offend God and get away with it. Don’t think for God – Listen to Him. “...whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it” (Luke 18:17). Lighten up! Live life abundantly.