Matthew 11:15 / Matthew 13:9 / Matthew 13:43
"He who has ears, let him hear."
The books of Matthew & Luke records Jesus making this consistent statement for a total of three times.
The first mention of this statement was when Jesus proclaimed to the crowd that John the Baptist was indeed the man who had been prophesised by the Old Testament Prophets and the law. The second and third mention was made as Jesus warned the people through the parable of the sower to the people and when He challenged his disciples with the parable of the weeds.
I first heard of this statement at the age of 16 as I was studying for my bible knowledge lesson. It then became a a nice quotable piece to use whenever equally stubborn teenage friends refused to listen. Secondly, it also became an official reason to say "I told you so", when something did happen later because no one heeded instructions. But today, some 15 years later, I am starting to understand the tone of the statement and see the reality of this statement.
Like the people and disciple which Jesus spoke to, we are as deaf and lazy ear-ed as them. I cannot emphasise how frustratingly deaf many (or all) of us are. Even though we have physical ears that can pick up sounds, sadly, it is as Prophet Isaiah says "'You will be ever hearing but never understanding".
The simple evidence of this is through our lives as we often don't translate the important principles of God. Effective hearing or listening comes so rarely in some of our lives that our ears are incredibly unproductive tools, underutilised for its purpose. I speak even for myself when I review the 49 weeks which have passed in this year and realised that there have been somethings which I heard but have been extremely deaf to listen and followed obediently.
To the youths:
Can you consider your past 49 weeks of school, family and church life and recall what you heard and what you did? Similiar to the proclamations, warnings and challenges told by Jesus in his 3 different context, were there not Godly proclamations, warnings and challenges which were instructed upon your lives?
To the adults:
Can you similarly consider your life in the past 49 weeks and measure where your spiritual condition is today? Have there not been Godly proclamations, warnings and challenges which were spoken to your lives but you simple did not heed? Are you still going somewhere with God?
In this festive Christmasy weeks of rushing about to get gifts for all our loved ones and enjoy ourselves in celebration gatherings, we must not let Christmas go past in vain.
I always feel that many of us live superficial lives during the December period. Often we focus on the love, fun and fellowship during Christmas and then turn sombre as watchnight approaches and we start realising the failures and ineffectiveness of our lives through personal evaluation & conviction.
I truely love Christmas. It's my favourite season of the year because its a time where I take the time to plan and then buy presents to those whom I hold dear. But its also the time which I take stock to evaluate the lives of each individual's life and its impact on mine. The most enduring moments is the time which I write my Christmas card blessings for each present. Then I can testify that the individual has indeed witnessed a move of God in his/her life and has experienced Godly encounters which has moulded and groom him/her for the better.
But before we celebrate Christmas and go overboard with cheerful festive spirit that masks our actual conditions, can we stop to ask ourselves if our lives are indeed going in God's direction or if we are going nowhere. Have you chosen to not hear the Saviour's instructions for your life and simply gone through this year without experiencing a breakthrough. It may not be a powerful uplifting high that we are talking about. Perhaps, you were instructed to get yourself right, to perservere in what you are doing, to die to self and yet stay rooted in faithfulness, to sacrifice your time for a cause, to stay energised because you were to achieve great things through greater challenges...etc.
Hear and hear well! Christmas is not a time of joyous celebrations only. In fact, the first Christmas was spent in a quiet manger as Shepards and Magi quietly beheld the salvation of mankind and saw hope for their lives. What about you?
Don't get mired up in running about, wrapping presents and doing social stuff because you want to avoid coming face to face with God in your life. I rather wished you would experience Christmas like the Magi and Shepards. That you would hear with your ears the constant call of my Saviour on your life, and to go back to behold God's renewed hope for your life. It'll be worth more than any Christmas gift.
blessings and with love,
M.
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6)
17 December 2006
Hear! (with your Ears)
Matthew 11:15 / Matthew 13:9 / Matthew 13:43
"He who has ears, let him hear."
The books of Matthew & Luke records Jesus making this consistent statement for a total of three times.
The first mention of this statement was when Jesus proclaimed to the crowd that John the Baptist was indeed the man who had been prophesised by the Old Testament Prophets and the law. The second and third mention was made as Jesus warned the people through the parable of the sower to the people and when He challenged his disciples with the parable of the weeds.
I first heard of this statement at the age of 16 as I was studying for my bible knowledge lesson. It then became a a nice quotable piece to use whenever equally stubborn teenage friends refused to listen. Secondly, it also became an official reason to say "I told you so", when something did happen later because no one heeded instructions. But today, some 15 years later, I am starting to understand the tone of the statement and see the reality of this statement.
Like the people and disciple which Jesus spoke to, we are as deaf and lazy ear-ed as them. I cannot emphasise how frustratingly deaf many (or all) of us are. Even though we have physical ears that can pick up sounds, sadly, it is as Prophet Isaiah says "'You will be ever hearing but never understanding".
The simple evidence of this is through our lives as we often don't translate the important principles of God. Effective hearing or listening comes so rarely in some of our lives that our ears are incredibly unproductive tools, underutilised for its purpose. I speak even for myself when I review the 49 weeks which have passed in this year and realised that there have been somethings which I heard but have been extremely deaf to listen and followed obediently.
To the youths:
Can you consider your past 49 weeks of school, family and church life and recall what you heard and what you did? Similiar to the proclamations, warnings and challenges told by Jesus in his 3 different context, were there not Godly proclamations, warnings and challenges which were instructed upon your lives?
To the adults:
Can you similarly consider your life in the past 49 weeks and measure where your spiritual condition is today? Have there not been Godly proclamations, warnings and challenges which were spoken to your lives but you simple did not heed? Are you still going somewhere with God?
In this festive Christmasy weeks of rushing about to get gifts for all our loved ones and enjoy ourselves in celebration gatherings, we must not let Christmas go past in vain.
I always feel that many of us live superficial lives during the December period. Often we focus on the love, fun and fellowship during Christmas and then turn sombre as watchnight approaches and we start realising the failures and ineffectiveness of our lives through personal evaluation & conviction.
I truely love Christmas. It's my favourite season of the year because its a time where I take the time to plan and then buy presents to those whom I hold dear. But its also the time which I take stock to evaluate the lives of each individual's life and its impact on mine. The most enduring moments is the time which I write my Christmas card blessings for each present. Then I can testify that the individual has indeed witnessed a move of God in his/her life and has experienced Godly encounters which has moulded and groom him/her for the better.
But before we celebrate Christmas and go overboard with cheerful festive spirit that masks our actual conditions, can we stop to ask ourselves if our lives are indeed going in God's direction or if we are going nowhere. Have you chosen to not hear the Saviour's instructions for your life and simply gone through this year without experiencing a breakthrough. It may not be a powerful uplifting high that we are talking about. Perhaps, you were instructed to get yourself right, to perservere in what you are doing, to die to self and yet stay rooted in faithfulness, to sacrifice your time for a cause, to stay energised because you were to achieve great things through greater challenges...etc.
Hear and hear well! Christmas is not a time of joyous celebrations only. In fact, the first Christmas was spent in a quiet manger as Shepards and Magi quietly beheld the salvation of mankind and saw hope for their lives. What about you?
Don't get mired up in running about, wrapping presents and doing social stuff because you want to avoid coming face to face with God in your life. I rather wished you would experience Christmas like the Magi and Shepards. That you would hear with your ears the constant call of my Saviour on your life, and to go back to behold God's renewed hope for your life. It'll be worth more than any Christmas gift.
blessings and with love,
M.
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6)
"He who has ears, let him hear."
The books of Matthew & Luke records Jesus making this consistent statement for a total of three times.
The first mention of this statement was when Jesus proclaimed to the crowd that John the Baptist was indeed the man who had been prophesised by the Old Testament Prophets and the law. The second and third mention was made as Jesus warned the people through the parable of the sower to the people and when He challenged his disciples with the parable of the weeds.
I first heard of this statement at the age of 16 as I was studying for my bible knowledge lesson. It then became a a nice quotable piece to use whenever equally stubborn teenage friends refused to listen. Secondly, it also became an official reason to say "I told you so", when something did happen later because no one heeded instructions. But today, some 15 years later, I am starting to understand the tone of the statement and see the reality of this statement.
Like the people and disciple which Jesus spoke to, we are as deaf and lazy ear-ed as them. I cannot emphasise how frustratingly deaf many (or all) of us are. Even though we have physical ears that can pick up sounds, sadly, it is as Prophet Isaiah says "'You will be ever hearing but never understanding".
The simple evidence of this is through our lives as we often don't translate the important principles of God. Effective hearing or listening comes so rarely in some of our lives that our ears are incredibly unproductive tools, underutilised for its purpose. I speak even for myself when I review the 49 weeks which have passed in this year and realised that there have been somethings which I heard but have been extremely deaf to listen and followed obediently.
To the youths:
Can you consider your past 49 weeks of school, family and church life and recall what you heard and what you did? Similiar to the proclamations, warnings and challenges told by Jesus in his 3 different context, were there not Godly proclamations, warnings and challenges which were instructed upon your lives?
To the adults:
Can you similarly consider your life in the past 49 weeks and measure where your spiritual condition is today? Have there not been Godly proclamations, warnings and challenges which were spoken to your lives but you simple did not heed? Are you still going somewhere with God?
In this festive Christmasy weeks of rushing about to get gifts for all our loved ones and enjoy ourselves in celebration gatherings, we must not let Christmas go past in vain.
I always feel that many of us live superficial lives during the December period. Often we focus on the love, fun and fellowship during Christmas and then turn sombre as watchnight approaches and we start realising the failures and ineffectiveness of our lives through personal evaluation & conviction.
I truely love Christmas. It's my favourite season of the year because its a time where I take the time to plan and then buy presents to those whom I hold dear. But its also the time which I take stock to evaluate the lives of each individual's life and its impact on mine. The most enduring moments is the time which I write my Christmas card blessings for each present. Then I can testify that the individual has indeed witnessed a move of God in his/her life and has experienced Godly encounters which has moulded and groom him/her for the better.
But before we celebrate Christmas and go overboard with cheerful festive spirit that masks our actual conditions, can we stop to ask ourselves if our lives are indeed going in God's direction or if we are going nowhere. Have you chosen to not hear the Saviour's instructions for your life and simply gone through this year without experiencing a breakthrough. It may not be a powerful uplifting high that we are talking about. Perhaps, you were instructed to get yourself right, to perservere in what you are doing, to die to self and yet stay rooted in faithfulness, to sacrifice your time for a cause, to stay energised because you were to achieve great things through greater challenges...etc.
Hear and hear well! Christmas is not a time of joyous celebrations only. In fact, the first Christmas was spent in a quiet manger as Shepards and Magi quietly beheld the salvation of mankind and saw hope for their lives. What about you?
Don't get mired up in running about, wrapping presents and doing social stuff because you want to avoid coming face to face with God in your life. I rather wished you would experience Christmas like the Magi and Shepards. That you would hear with your ears the constant call of my Saviour on your life, and to go back to behold God's renewed hope for your life. It'll be worth more than any Christmas gift.
blessings and with love,
M.
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6)
