Therefore, consider carefully how you listen.
Luke 8:18
Did you know there are many kinds of listeners? We have much to glean from the parable of the sower, and if we are willing to honestly evaluate where we are planted, much growth and fruit can result!
Luke 8:5-18
“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path;
it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up.
Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture.
Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants.
Still other seed fell on good soil.
It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.”
When He said this, He called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
His disciples asked Him what this parable meant.
He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you,
but to others I speak in parables,
so that, ‘though seeing, they may not see, though hearing they may not understand.’
This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.
Those along the path are the ones who hear,
and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts,
so that they may not believe and be saved.
Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy
when they hear it, but they have no root.
They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.
The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear,
but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries,
riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.
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.
No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed.
Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light.
For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed,
and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.
Therefore, consider carefully how you listen.
Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him.”
Luke 8:5-18
What kind of a listener are you?
We can hear and yet not really hear! We can hear what we want to hear and ignore what is really being said. This passage describes four types of listeners.
‘Along the path’ listeners: These listeners heard other voices. The devil stole away the word from their hearts and in the end, they did not believe at all.
‘Rocky’ soil listeners: These listeners reacted emotionally, even with joy, but their roots were shallow. So when testing came, they withered away because of shallow roots.
‘Thorny’ soillisteners: heard the word but went on their way without changed lives. They did not let the word affect their lives. They focused on things of the world: life’s worries, riches and pleasure. As a result, they were so distracted that they did not mature and did not bear fruit.
‘Good soil’ listeners: These are those who listened with good and noble hearts, heard the word and retained it. They persevered to produce a good crop. They learned how to listen with their hearts and produce much fruit in their lives.
We have much to glean from this story. How we hear will directly affect the fruit we produce (or do not produce)! All of the listeners ‘heard’ the word, but received the seed in different ways.
If we hear with good and noble hearts, then our ‘light’ will be put on a stand for others to see.
We can thrill the heart of God by learning to listen to Him and obeying what He tells us.
“They will be My people, and I will be their God.
I will give them singleness of heart and action,
so that they will always fear Me for their own good
and the good of their children after them.
I will make an everlasting covenant with them:
I will never stop doing good to them,
and I will inspire them to fear Me,
so that they will never turn away from Me.
I will rejoice in doing them good
and will assuredly plant them in this land
with all My heart and soul.
Jeremiah 32: 38-41
Whether you turn to the right or to the left,
your ears will hear a Voice behind you, saying,
“This is the way; walk in it.”
Isaiah 30:21
Adapted from Ears to Hear by Deborah Wiley
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