Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. Psalm 119:105
Mark 4
Mark 4:25 To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. NLT.
How disconcerting it is after conversing with someone for several minutes to realize they have not been listening! Under those circumstances I wonder why I took the effort. Paying attention is vital for communicating as well as to understanding. That is why I frequently attempt to position myself to avoid distractions when conversing. I avoid certain restaurants because they seem to place televisions so they are visible from every seat in the establishment. When dining I combine eating and conversation.
But mere listening is but a minor aspect of what Jesus is implying here. The concept implied is more like when giving instructions to a child (up to an including adolescents) and asking, “Did you hear me?” We want to know not merely that the sounds registered on the eardrums, but that the child hears, understands, and will comply. This is that to which Jesus here refers.
People who listen with understanding and intention to obey will continue to grow. I compare this with learning math. I started learning math as a child when I learned number songs and rote counting. Then I learned to identify different numbers with coloring books and blocks. After mastering that I learned to write the numbers. This progressed to learning how to add single digit numbers, then double digit, and on. Once mastered I undertook subtraction, then multiplication, division, fractions, etc. Finally, I progressed to algebra, geometry, and trigonometry. That’s where I concluded my mathematics study.
In our spiritual journeys of transformation into the image of Jesus, we make similar progressions. We trust Him for our salvation. Then we learn to pray for our concerns, then the concerns for others, and on to seeking God’s will for redemption of the world. Each new lesson when learned becomes a spring board for a new understanding. Jesus promised as much.
For this to reach fruition we all need a routine for encountering Jesus’ message and teaching. For me I find this encounter through Bible study, listening to godly speakers, going on retreats, reading books, and primarily from quiet meditation and reflection on scripture.
The remarkable thing is, the more I listen and implement what I learn, the more I begin to see potential areas of growth. The cycle of spiritual growth increases in value and I see how far I’ve come as well as the amazing potential of what God has yet to do in my life.
Open my entire being so I learn how to love You more completely – body, soul, heart, and mind. Amen.
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