One of the blessings of preparing this daily devotional is the ‘macro’ view I get of all the great people doing great devotional writing. I get so excited to be able to share each new writer I discover. Jeremy Binns has an excellent, multi-faceted blog; this appeared in May under the same title as we used above; in fact, in a rare move, we also ‘borrowed’ the graphic associated with the blog post. However, we’d like you guys to give Jeremy some link love and read this well-written piece at source.
Music People
I’ve often been somewhat mesmerized by people with exceptional musical abilities. One of the skills that I’ve always found particularly interesting is the ability for some people to hear and distinguish the unique parts within a musical piece.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy music to be sure, but for me, it’s mostly an experience as a whole. For others though, they hear the often overlooked bass line, or they pick out the unique percussion elements, and they hear the variations within the rhythm instruments. They hear them all.
While some of this is obviously a skill, I think that it is mostly a great deal of training themselves to hear and listen. I’ve sat with people like this, and they can point out a part, and suddenly I can hear it too. It wasn’t that my ears suddenly became super human, it’s just that I began listening for a sound that I had never been receptive to hearing to before.
Melodies From Heaven
Jesus had a unique ability to hear a melody of a different kind. He had the ability to hear the voice of the Father in an unobstructed and non-distorted manner. He heard each nuance of emotion, each letter of precision, and every heartbeat of passion in those words.
Throughout His life on earth, He walked among humanity with purpose. He functioned as a divine translator between the invisible image of God, and the vision of mortal eyes.
Like the skilled musician, He stopped people in their routines and asked them to listen to a rhythm that they never noticed before. He asked them to tune their ears to the always proceeding voice of their Creator.
He Who Has Ears to Hear…
It all came down to whether or not that individual was willing to listen to the silent song echoing throughout the ages and reverberating within the deepest constructs of our beings. If you’re willing to listen, you’ll hear it, or he who has ears to hear, let him hear.
He used the story in Matthew 13 about the sower who threw seed on 4 types of soil. Only one of them was receptive enough for that seed to take root and produce fruit. The illustration was about the voice of God and mankind’s receptivity to it.
He followed the parable with an often misunderstood verse that is remarkably profound and relevant to each of us when read within the context and understanding that Jesus is speaking about our willingness to hear the Divine Melody.
Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. – Matthew 13:12
The Crossroads
Jesus wasn’t much for sugar-coating things, and this verse says it all. Whoever has (a willingness to hear) will be given more (to hear)… Whoever does not have (a willingness to hear), even what they have will be taken from them…
Throughout life, we come to crossroads that will have eternal impact, not only on ourselves, but also those we are connected to. We come to moments when Christ stops by our life and asks us to listen that heavenly sound of God’s voice speaking.
This may be through Bible reading, it may be through a sermon, or it may even be through that still small voice of the Holy Spirit. We have a choice then. Will we stop and listen to what He is saying and apply it to our lives, or will we choose to ignore it and continue on our self-chosen path.
Know this today, every time you stop and are willing to listen, you increase your capacity to hear that voice and it’s influence within your life. Every time, you choose not to hear, you diminish your ability to hear and push His influence further and further from your life.
Do You Hear it Today?
I believe that if you’re reading this, God is whispering to you, even right now. He is calling out to you and asking you to listen to His melody, His purpose, and His plan for your life. Will you have the ears to hear, or will you choose an eternal deafness? Whoever has will be given more…
Christianity 201 