“No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a bowl or hides it under a bed. A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house. For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all.
So pay attention to how you hear. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what they think they understand will be taken away from them.” – Luke 8:16-18
When we’ve received the Light of Truth in our lives, we have the responsibility to shine that light to the world around us… this is our purpose for being on earth. We are part of God’s mission to reach the world. Otherwise, why wouldn’t we go straight to Heaven the moment we surrender our life to Jesus?
The Spirit of the Living God lives inside all who believe in Him. The Spirit can’t help but radiate. But we play a role in just how bright that illumination is. We can fan the flame so that the Light shines the brightest, or we can douse it – leaving barely a spark to be seen. As we seek God, His ways, allowing ourselves to be captivated by His Spirit’s leading, submitting our will to His, we dance with the Light… and it burns ever so bright. But the opposite is also true, we can hinder the brightness of the light - if we let other voices direct us, if we walk the walk we want, or allow anything to deter us from the leading of the Spirit’s best for us.
Jesus includes a command in this parable that I believe is important for us to wrestle with.
“Pay attention to how you hear.”
It almost sounds grammatically off, doesn’t it? But our focus here needs to be on the word “how”.
We can easily get caught up listening but not truly hearing. It’s easy to simply listen because we think it’s what we should do. But if that is our motivation and our destination, we will miss out greatly. When we listen to the teaching of God and internalize it… we heed to what we’ve heard by applying it to our lives. Listening with expectation. We do this as one who is seeking information…seeking God’s ways and desiring to be taught by Him. Open-handed before our God, acknowledging His ways are better than all others.
So, are we listening to apply? Or are we listening to appease?
Understanding follows those that seek to truly know His ways.
The more intently we listen, the more understanding we’ll be given. Applying God’s word helps us grow. Just as our muscles can grow stronger or weaker with how much we exercise, or the lack thereof; in the same way the Light of Truth within us brightens or fades as a reflection of our spiritual growth.
So, how am I hearing God? How am I using what He is saying?
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