Hearing More From God

This morning I am reading from Mark's Gospel, chapter 4.

Mark 4:21-25 NIV
He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? [22] For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. [23] If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.” [24] “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you---and even more. [25] Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”

My focus was drawn to verse 23 and 24. Verse 23 is the operative focus of the remaining verses, and here Jesus is speaking about hearing. In verse 24 the Greek is even more specific. Jesus says that we should pay careful attention to what and who we hear. He also says that with the same measure we use to measure, more will be measured out and added to us (speaking about what we are hearing).

I think sometimes we read things like this and just pass on by with out grasping the significance of the statement. Jesus is saying that its by our measurement, that we hear more.

I think an analogy is in order - if you walk into a QuikTrip or 7-11 with a tiny cup and get a refill, you will only walk out with a tiny cup full of your choice of beverage. If you walk in with a 5 gallon container, you will receive a 5 gallon refill. With the measure we choose and bring, it will be measured out to us.

Putting it into the hearing context, if we are satisfied with one new word a month, that will be the measurement of what is given to us, in addition to what we have now, one new word a month. Jesus says to pay close attention to what and who we are hearing or listening to, for this is significant and important for our lives.

I believe that He is encouraging us to look at our lives, and consider who and what we listen to throughout the day. The level of our desire (measure) to hear more will determine how much we receive from Him. If we are satisfied with little, we will be given a little more. If we are only satisfied by gallons, then gallons will be given. It is our choice what measure is used to fill us up, and He is talking about His words.

At one time in my walk with the Lord, I did not take much time to listen and when I did I was easily distracted, and did not really remember what I heard. I was always happy when I heard something, but just did not have an understanding of the principle lined out in these verses. At one point I distinctly heard the Lord say to me that if I wasn't going to listen, He was going to stop talking. His encouragement to me was to take my time with Him seriously, and to write down what He said, so that I would remember. That one encouragement completely changed my relationship with the Lord, one could say that I chose a new cup to have filled with hearing His word that day. Throughout my life, since that time, I have been constantly trading out my old cup, with a new bigger cup, for my desire to hear more from Him keeps increasing.

Lord, I pray that You will increase our desire for You and Your Word. That we might be constantly desiring and hearing more!