Matthew 13:14-15
"…you will keep on hearing but will not understand; you will keep on seeing, but will not perceive; for the heart of this people has become dull. With their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they would see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts and return, and I would heal them."
This is a message for God’s people, and that includes myself. These verses are the words of Jesus. They describe what I am experiencing and witnessing not only in the world, but very much in the church. We have lost our ability to truly listen with our hearts and minds. We hear, but we don’t listen. We have the ability to hear noise, but we aren’t listening– only hearing. We are constantly hearing the of Word of God through social media, pastors, teachers, dvds, radios, etc., but we have lost the ability for it to penetrate our hearts and spirit.
Jesus said you will keep on hearing, but you will not understand; you will keep on seeing, but will not perceive. Then He revealed the root of the problem. It is a heart issue. Your hearts have become dull, hardened. We have become so mechanical we resemble robots. Our hearts don’t desire truth. We exhibit apathy, indifference, no concern, unmoved, half hearted. We simply choose to close our eyes in order not to perceive the truth about the condition of our hearts. Yet, truth is the only thing that sets us free. The result is we have no understanding. Jesus said if we did, we would return to Him with our whole heart, and He would heal us!
We all need constant healing from broken hearts, broken relationship, broken bones, broken lives, emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical wounds. There is only one Physician who can truly heal all, and it is Jesus. Colossians 2:3 says,
"…all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Him."
If faith comes by hearing, and it does, we must learn how to not only hear, but listen to the voice of God through His Word and His Spirit that is speaking within us. Till we start that pursuit we will never listen to each other. One of the greatest needs of every human is to be listened to. It obviously is the greatest need of our God, because we are made in His image according to His Word. (Genesis 1:27)
I pray we will all have ears to listen and hear what the Spirit is saying to us today. No conflicts will be resolved in our personal lives, or our government, until we actually listen with our hearts to the timeless words of wisdom Jesus reveals in Matthew 13. Has your heart become dull and hardened? Listen and obey His instruction for a radically different new year. Return, and allow Him to heal you from within and without as only He can.
Teresa Roberts
Masterpiece Fitness
276-237-6680
One of the main reasons I love trail running is because I get away from all the noise and listen quietly to sounds He created. I am so much more prone to listen to the voice of the One who never yells to be heard, but is always willing to speak to a cry from my heart or yours.
Beautiful morning this past Saturday in Winston Salem after completing the Salem Lake Frosty 25K. Finished 2nd in age group and more importantly enjoyed my run. Perfect day for running which was very different from last year when we left home in single digits. My water spout was frozen by fifth mile!
