Reading the headline above, I'm certain you are ready to grab a red pen and correct the typo, but wait: There's a reason for it. I'd like you to think about what it takes to be a good listener, and why we should listen more carefully to others.
Throughout the Old and New Testament there are many passages advising us to use our ears, not our mouth. One that comes to mind is Proverbs 12:15: "The way of fools is right in their own eyes, but those who listen to advice are the wise." And in James 1:19-20: "Know this, my dear brothers: everyone should be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath, for the wrath of a man does not accomplish the righteousness of God."
We can be better listeners when we exercise humility, especially so that we can be receptive to hearing the Word of God.
During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches in Matthew 7:24-29, "'Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.' When Jesus finished these words, the crowds were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes."
The most touching words that encourage and motivate me to listen to what my Savior has to say are in John 10:28-29: "My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father's hand."
In conclusion, think about James 1:22-25: "Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his own face in a mirror. He sees himself, then goes off and promptly forgets what he looked like. But the one who peers into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres, and is not a hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, such a one shall be blessed in what he does."
God is calling us to act on His Word. Don't fall into the devil's trap by hearing today, then forgetting it all tomorrow.
Barbara Case Speers is a writer who lives in Hickory.
Youth is a time when people naturally start seeking answers about the reason for their existence. It is a time for dreaming dreams and looking to the future with hope and enthusiasm. Questions arise: "What do I want to do? What will I be? How can I find the fulfillment I am looking for?"