School of the Holy Spirit - Part 2

This morning in prayer, I was reading the parable of the Sower (Luke 8:5-15) which is all about hearing/listening and responding.  In particular I was focusing my thought on verse 15, which says, "But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop."

I was thinking about the three action verbs - hear, retain and persevere.  This is exactly what we need to do, anytime we are in a learning situation, where we need to learn something.  If we are in training for a new role at work, we need to listen to what they are saying, figure out some way to retain what they are saying (taking notes, etc) and then through perseverance (repetition) practice what we have learned until we get it. 

Finally, I continued reading and stopped at Luke 8:18 (God's Word Translation), "So pay attention to how you listen! Those who understand these mysteries will be given more knowledge. However, some people don’t understand these mysteries. Even what they think they understand will be taken away from them."

In other words, if you combine this verse with verse 5-15, how we listen is very important.  If we are retaining and understanding God's word, and putting God's word into practice, and bearing fruit, we will be given more understanding and knowledge.  Like any schooling, this takes time and effort (study) and discussion. If we are not actively pursuing, possibly due to our busy schedule, concerns of the days, etc., we are in danger of losing even that which we have learned.

Lord, help me to be a good student - actively listening, working on retaining and putting into practice that which You show me.