Can you remember what you heard at church on Sunday? Or what about what you read in your Bible yesterday? Well you may say, I can’t remember every meal I ate either but they still did me good! This is true, and its very hard to measure the impact of God’s Word in our lives. Nevertheless, our readings from Deuteronomy and Luke challenge us in how we listen to God’s Word.
“What does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you for your good.” (Deut 10:12)
In order to keep God’s commandments we need to know them, and think through what they mean in our lives. We need to pray that the LORD would change our stubborn hearts that want to go their own way to soft hearts that want to listen and obey ( 16). One thing that God says here that helps us to listen – the commands are for our good! God’s commands bring life. Don’t we see in our world the tragic results of not listening to God? Everyone does what is right in their own eyes, and just look at the pain, confusion and mess that is caused.
Jesus also tells us to be careful how we listen in His famous parable of the sower. As the parable is told, it’s as if He’s holding up a mirror to us and asking us, which soil are you? Are you listening to His Word and allowing it to go deep into your life?
There is only one man who perfectly listened to God’s Word and obeyed it all. The one speaking the parable, and thankfully, His obedience led him to go to the cross for our sake. He is willing to take on himself the curse we deserve for failing to listen and obey and to give us new hearts that want to go God’s way. He is willing to share His victory with us, so that if we put His word into practice, by turning to Him, asking for mercy and seeking to live His way, He shares all the privileges of being in God’s family (Luke 8:21).
How can we listen better? Perhaps we need to recover the old idea of meditation-not emptying your mind, but filling it with God’s Word. Chewing over what you read in your Bible each day, perhaps asking the Lord to help you remember one thing from your reading throughout the day. To learn a verse off by heart. Maybe taking notes during the sermon on the Lord’s Day and looking over them and praying about what your heard, maybe its talking to others about what you learned, or asking questions.
Whatever we do, however we do it, we must pay attention to God’s wonderful Word. Keep going!
Light and Momentary Troubles 
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