Good Grounds
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I was taking a course on pastoral counseling recently, and the first, predominant and most important tool needed is “listening”. This is crucial because it is only when you listen that you can enter the person’s experiences, and know how the person feels and thinks; and be able to provide guidance.
We were told that you listen with all your faculties: your ears, eyes, nose, touch and even taste. So you hear the person’s voice, tone and words; you see the person’s mannerisms and posture, you pick up any scents around the person, you use gentle touch to encourage, and urge the person to speak on, and you use taste to assess where necessary (e.g. if the person says something like, “…meanwhile, I am a good cook too. Try this cake I baked and see.”).
In other words, you give people your full attention to be effective in listening. The same principle applies if we want to hear from God. We need to give Him our full attention. If we try listening to God with our ears, but our eyes are viewing something else, we don’t get the best out of Him. We cannot be listening to God, through reading the Bible, while using our hands to sew, because our attention will be divided. We cannot even be listening to music, even gospel music, and be trying to listen to God at the same time by reading the Bible! We cannot be eating and be trying to listen to God. The brain is like a computer, and every activity we engage in takes memory and processor space. So if we want to listen well, we need to make sure all our faculties are focused, and doing nothing else.
Jesus used a parable to illustrate how we can be effective in listening.
READ Luke 8:4-8, 11-15
And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable: “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
(Luke 8: 4-8 NKJV)“Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no roots, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares,riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.
(Luke 8: 11-15 NKJV)
A lot has been said in this parable, but I want to concentrate on verses 14 and 15. This is what it says:
Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.
But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. (vv. 14-15)
The cares, riches, and pleasures of life; that choke those that fell in thorns are in the category of distractions, and ensure the seed bears no fruit! Anything that distracts you from giving your full attention to God chokes out the voice of God. Have you had your quiet time, or heard a sermon in church, but could not remember anything later, or remember only figments of it when you tried?
The good grounds (vv.15), is fully focused attention. Attention with ears, eyes, smell, touch and feel, and taste; all focused on God.
It is only then that we can “hear the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.” (vv. 15)
Life’s circumstances do not allow us to give God our full attention all the time – maybe you are mostly on the road, or you are a care giver etc.– so you have to multi-task often. Something is, by all means, better than nothing at all.
However, let us endeavor to give God our full attention often. It is the only way we can benefit fully from what He says to us.
MEMORY VERSE
“But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.”
(Luke 8:8)
QUESTIONS
- How effective are you
in hearing from God? - Would you like to try giving
Him your full attention, and
see the transformation?
PRAYER TIP
Almighty Father, we have not been
the best when it comes to listening to You.
Please help us, in Jesus’ name!
URGENT CALL
By nature, we are all sinful, and alienated from God. We ultimately face the wrath of God!
But God in His mercy and love gives us a chance to reverse this trend, join His family, be part of His household, and become His children.
The first step to becoming a member of God’s household is for us to be saved.
Salvation comes through accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Personal Savior.
It is a very personal decision. No one can make for you.
If you make that decision today, there will be great singing and rejoicing in heaven; because one new member has joined the family and household of God!
Do you want to make that decision today?
Please visit “The Believer’s Prayer”
for guidance if you want
to make that decision.
We will be happy to hear from you through the contact information on that page.
God richly bless you
SPECIAL GRATITUDE
Thank you for visiting the Testimony Devotional Website.
We would not have gotten here without your prayers, goodwill and overall support. We are grateful, and humbled.
We thank God for counting us worthy to share in His Great Commission; and we thank you for sticking with us through this journey.
God richly bless you.
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