HE WHO HAS EARS TO HEAR

Have you ever been talking to someone when it suddenly became obvious they weren't paying attention?

They were looking right at you.

They even nodded once or twice.

When you finished, you asked, “What did I just say?”

The blank look on their face gave them away.

They had been listening to your voice, but they never really heard you.

The same thing happens every Sunday in churches around the world.

People listen to the sermon. They follow along as the Bible is read. They may even agree with what is being said.

Then they leave exactly the way they came.

Jesus understood this better than anyone.

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Matthew 11:15)

At first, those words seem strange. Everyone standing there had ears. Everyone could hear His voice.

So what did Jesus mean?

He was speaking about more than sound entering the ear. He was talking about receiving the truth. A person can listen to every word Jesus says and still never truly hear Him.

Jesus explained this again when He said:

“...while hearing, they do not hear, nor do they understand.” (Matthew 13:13)

They listened to His teaching. They heard every parable. But they refused to receive what He was saying because their hearts were closed.

That danger still exists today.

It is possible to listen to hundreds of sermons, read your Bible every day, quote Scripture, and still fail to hear what God is saying.

James warned us: “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.” (James 1:22)

A true hearer doesn't simply collect biblical knowledge. He allows God's Word to search his heart, expose his sin, correct his thinking, and change the direction of his life.

Every time you open the Scriptures, you are reading what God has said.

The question isn't whether you listened.

The question is whether you heard.

Did His Word humble you?

Did it convict you?

Did it strengthen your faith?

Did it move you to obey?

Or was it just another message that passed through your ears without ever reaching your heart?

Jesus is still saying,

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Don't just listen to God's Word.

Hear it.

Receive it.

Let it change you forever.

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“What I write is not for everyone, but what I write is meant for someone.” – Dean Butler

This work may be shared for ministry or personal use, but please credit the author when doing so. © Dean Butler  | The Other Side of Amen | All rights reserved.